KSAT Community Giving Tuesday: Restore Education

Help support nonprofits during COVID-19

Giving Tuesday

SAN ANTONIO – Our local nonprofits in San Antonio need help from the community now more than ever due to COVID-19 affecting its daily operations.

With an overwhelming response from the community, 36 nonprofit organizations reached out to KSAT Community to be potentially featured for Wishlist Wednesday.

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Instead of highlighting one nonprofit for Wishlist Wednesday this week, KSAT Community will be hosting Giving Tuesday to help 36 organizations.

If you would like to learn more about how Restore Education needs support during the pandemic, please see below on the Q&A from the nonprofit.

Q. What is the mission/goal of the nonprofit?

A. Our mission is to transform at-risk youth and adults into successful college and career-ready students, so they can achieve the future they deserve as self-supporting adults, role models as parents, and contributing members of our community.

Q. How does the nonprofit help the community?

A. Since 85% of our students are low or no-income and 90% are first-generation college students, offering no-cost education opportunities is the key to breaking intergenerational poverty. We create highly individualized pathways to college and the workforce. Since opening in 2008, we have provided educational services to over 10,000 students. We anticipate serving more than 2,500 students this year. At least 90% of our HSE/GED and workforce graduates either enroll in college or obtain employment within a year of graduation.

Q. How has COVID-19 impacted your nonprofit?

A. For almost a month, while our learning center and 6 satellites have been closed, we have converted to online, virtual learning for those students who are able to focus on their educational progress. But many of them do not have the resources to continue their studies at home with us, specifically computers or home internet. Most of our 900 current students are also struggling with basic needs including food, shelter, childcare access and unpaid bills. We continue to reach out to all of them to determine their basic and technological needs.

We have also seen an increased interest in our services because GED and job training will be critical in the coming months as individuals reenter the job market. Virtual enrollment for new classes will start next week and courses begin in the next few weeks.

Q. What type of donations do you need?

A. Later this week we will be distributing 40 refurbished laptops, in addition to textbooks, homework packets, and gift cards for students in need. We have also created a COVID-19 response fund to support students with emergency financial assistance for childcare and other bills.

Q. Do you need volunteers?

A. Not at this time.

Q. How can the community help?

A. Online donations, H-E-B or restaurant gift card contributions to support our COVID-19 response fund is the best way the community can help our students.

Website:

restoreeducation.org

Facebook page:

facebook.com/RestoreEducation

Address:

1903 San Pedro Avenue, San Antonio, Texas 78212

Related:

Share your appreciation for our community: Send a frontline worker a virtual message

To see the full list of KSAT Community Giving Tuesday nonprofits featured, click here.

KSAT Community operates in partnership with University Health System, Energy Transfer and Randolph-Brooks Federal Credit Union.


About the Author:

Kiersten has been a Digital Content Creator with KSAT12 since 2017. She graduated from Texas State University with an electronic media degree and previously worked for the Spurs Sports & Entertainment.