By Dee McPeek
Special to The PREVIEW
The local celebrities participating in Dancing with the Pagosa Stars are working very hard to create a memorable night of entertainment on July 14 at the Ross Aragon Community Center.
While they are competing to take home the Mirror Ball Trophy, their motivation to succeed goes far deeper.
The money being raised through your ticket purchases and voting supports the at-risk children at Seeds of Learning whose families cannot afford tuition without your help. A fair question is “exactly what is my money being used for?”
Contributions pay for degreed teachers who create an individual learning plan for every child at Seeds, assuring each learns what they will need in kindergarten and beyond. These employees are not babysitters. They are passionate professionals whose greatest joy is seeing an “ah-ha” look in the eyes of a preschooler learning something new.
Voting dollars provide breakfast and a hot lunch for every child, every day. For some it is their only meals and we all understand that a hungry 4-year-old can’t learn. With full tummies, students learn academics as well as critical social and emotional skills like tolerance, perseverance and anger management. Research has proven these assets not only create better educational outcomes, but benefit children into adulthood. The safe, secure environment, provided by your generosity, allows families the peace of mind to be able to work and contribute to our community.
Tuition costs $52 per day and many families can only afford to pay $30. Each $22 in votes for a star means an at-risk child can spend one more day learning and preparing to succeed. Votes are $1 and you can vote for as many stars and as often as you like.
Visit http://growingseeds.org/dwtps-stars/to learn about each star and vote for your favorites. Our celebrities are competing to change the life of a child. Your support proves their commitment to help is truly having an impact.
