Due to the Winston-Salem Forsyth County Schools’ current debt, more than twenty small businesses across Clemmons, Winston-Salem, Lewisville, and Kernersville began collecting donations. The donations can be school supplies, hygiene products, snacks, and other items commonly found in classrooms.
Businesses have many reasons for wanting to help kids get supplies they need and the desire to support teachers, whether it’s because they know people in the district or they just want to help their community.
“They are collecting donations because one of the business owners on Trade Street is close to a lot of teachers in the county. And due to the budget cuts and everything, we were made aware of the lack of funding and the lack of supplies the kids were receiving. So, I do not know who, but someone on the street decided to involve all the businesses and try to get donations for the schools,” Kin and Cottage employee Clove Edwards said.
Other reasons businesses have wanted to help teachers are their beliefs about how education and communities should be run. People believe that the funding the district does have needs to be distributed better.
“I am collecting donations because I believe in community, the importance of education, and the future of our next generations. I am also collecting donations because of how much funding has been cancelled to allocate to other places. We should be focusing on the youth and putting money into our education system. Teachers do not make enough for what they do and what they have to deal with. I feel that our current government is taking away money from needed places to allocate it to other places that perhaps maybe should not be the biggest focus,” CasaShanti Owner Zachari VanDyke said.
In this situation, people have different opinions regarding the matter. A popular belief among the business owners is that the district needs more funding, and the general consensus is that it’s unfair for the teachers, staff and students.
“I feel absolutely awful and angry about this situation. Our schools are already so underfunded so kids and teachers who need help really are not getting it, and now they just made it even worse. I am sick of children and teachers being the last on the list for our government and public. I think it is really a sign and symptom of our times and I hope we as the general public and citizens of Winston-Salem, can actually keep up our voices and try to make our leaders make the appropriate changes,” Mothership Studios employee Lillie Morris said.
Everyone agrees that the issue at hand is terrible; schools being underfunded is a typical concern for citizens. However, this is the first time that the issue has truly come to fruition.
“I think that it has always been an issue where schools are underfunded, and currently it is the most underfunded it has been. Which is dumb because students and public schools are the most important thing towards raising people to be educated and being adjusted human beings, and for that they need supplies. So there should be more funding going to schools, and there is not, and it should not be the job of an everyday person to take the work that the government isn’t doing well,” Edwards said.
At the debt’s current height, it can be helpful to do anything to help teachers. Regardless of whether you are a teacher, student, or community member, you can all take steps to help. Whether it is donating money or supplies to teachers, schools, or the district as a whole. All that’s known for sure is that we must come together as a community.
Donation Box Locations:
Winston-Salem: Mothership Studio, Casashanti on Trade, D.O.S.E Artist Collective, Major Tomms, Kin & Cottage, Chill Nitro, Joymongers Brewing Co, The Porch Kitchen and Cantina, Alkali WSNC, The Little Cake Company, Out of The Box Consignment, Pinnacle Financial Partners, Pigtails & Crewcuts: Haircuts for Kids, Gretchen’s Treasure Chest, Arbor Apartments, House of Cards Winston and Michael Feilds Salon and Day Spa
Clemmons: Crafted Kitchen & Market and Power Nutrition Tax.
Lewisville: Irvin Robert’s Salon
Kernersville: Choppers Barbershop, Elite by Studio615, Studio615 Salon and Spa
