In 2021, Ryan Rumpf, principal of Global Academy in Kansas City, was searching for a way to start a multilingual library to allow the many refugee and immigrant students at the school an opportunity to read books written in their native languages.
A $10,000 grant from the Kansas City nonprofit BeGreat Together was the answer, allowing the school to purchase hundreds of books in multiple languages, a task that Rumpf says would have likely taken two years without grant funding.
Just last week, BeGreat Together awarded $30,000 to three more Kansas City schools: Northeast High School, Center Elementary School, and Grace United Community Ministries Early Childhood Center.
Robin Smith, lead teacher at Grace United, says she was moved to tears when she learned the pre-K program received a grant to help fund classroom supplies. This was the first year that pre-K programs were eligible for a grant.
"We're always going in our pockets trying to get some things together for our students, and this couldn't have come at a better time," said Smith.
- Avrell Stokes, executive director, BeGreat Together
- Ryan Rumpf, principal, Global Academy
- Robin Smith, lead teacher, Grace United Community Ministries
