Georgia United CU Foundation Announces School Crashers Recipients

DULUTH, GA (May 4, 2021)– Georgia United Credit Union Foundation in partnership with Georgia United Credit Union is excited to announce eight grant recipients of the 2021 Georgia United Foundation School Crashers® program. School Crashers is the Foundation’s largest community service program that offers schools across the state an opportunity to apply for a school facility makeover. The program strengthens communities by supporting local school systems with the end goal of improving the learning environment for the students, faculty and staff.

The School Crashers nomination period opened in March to all accredited K-12 schools in Georgia. Interested schools were asked to include a photograph along with a 250-word essay describing why their school should receive a makeover. Nominations were received from 36 school systems and after a rigorous judging process, eight schools have been slated to receive school improvements over the summer.

“We are looking forward to serving our communities and strengthening our school systems through the eighth annual School Crashers program,” shared Debbie Smith, president and CEO of Georgia United Credit Union. “The Georgia United Foundation, credit union team members, generous donors, community partners and volunteers make this a collaborative community service event, where we provide inspiring learning spaces for the students, faculty and staff. We want the students to have an increased pride in their school and be motivated to learn when they return in the fall.”

Congratulations to the 2021 School Crashers grant recipients:

• Stockbridge Elementary is a Title I school serving Pre-K and kindergarten to third grade students with special needs. The current playground equipment has several sections that need to be repaired or replaced. With 561 students, Georgia United Foundation plans to maximize this space by replacing old, broken equipment with new, updated age-appropriate equipment.

• Northcutt Elementary in Atlanta is a Title I school that serves over 700 students each year. The school’s mission is to provide and meet every child’s individual needs both educationally and personally. The existing playground equipment has a limited number of play pieces and does not meet the current safety standards. In addition, the teachers’ lounge will receive a small makeover to give the faculty a calming place to unwind during their teaching breaks.

• Sims Elementary in Conyers has been proudly committed to providing a quality education to the scholars of Conyers for over 30 years. However, over those 30 years the outdoor tables, benches and greenhouse have become dilapidated. Improvements to these areas will allow the teachers to better utilize the space as outdoor classrooms, lunch picnic areas and an educational STEM space. The Georgia United team will help bring this space back to use for the 580 scholars who are currently missing out on this opportunity.

• Mountain View High in Lawrenceville will be the first high school awarded a School Crashers grant for a sensory room project. A traditional classroom can be overstimulating for some students with exceptionalities. The School Crashers grant and a generous carpeting grant from Mohawk Carpet will transform an old classroom space into a sensory room, creating a better environment for students with autism and intellectual disabilities.

• Rowland Elementary in Stone Mountain is a Title I school built in the 1960’s with over 95 percent of students coming from low-income families. The School Crashers and Mohawk Carpet grants will help improve the media center space with updated flooring, paint and comfortable, flexible seating. This media center will become the hub of the school as it is transformed into a warm, colorful and inviting space for the students to grow their love of reading.

• Brookwood Elementary School is a Title I STEM certified Pre-K through fifth grade school serving 677 multilingual students in Dalton. Each grade level has STEM research-based projects focused on environmental issues facing the Dalton community. Brookwood needs a centrally located environment to all the students so they can stay on campus to conduct their research. The current courtyard is centrally located and has the potential to be transformed into an efficient, beneficial space to foster the learning for all six grade levels.

• Rutland Academy in Athens serves students from Barrow, Clarke, Commerce City, Elbert, Greene, Jackson, Jefferson City, Madison, Morgan, Oconee, Oglethorpe, Social Circle City and Walton with emotional and behavioral disorders which require therapeutic interventions due to the severity of one or more of the characteristics of their disability. Sensory therapy plays a critical role to these students’ success and the School Crashers and Mohawk Carpet grants will provide improvements to the sensory room space where their students receive their sensory intervention therapy.

• West Newton Elementary in Covington is a Title I school serving the largest population of students receiving free and reduced lunches in Newton County. This grant will allow the transformation of the Wildcat Woosah into a specially designed sensory room for kindergarten through fifth grades to receive self-regulatory support. In addition, the grant will allow for Cozy Corner sensory kits to be created for classroom checkouts to help decrease classroom disturbances and inappropriate classroom behaviors. This place will be a great benefit and continue to provide multitiered systems of support for the ethnically and diverse student population at West Newton Elementary.

Now in its eighth year, Georgia United’s School Crashers program has positively impacted 31,994 children across 50 schools by creating inspiring learning spaces and facility improvements valued at over $1,400,000. Funding for the program is provided by the Georgia United Foundation and generous donations made by community partners. Selected schools will receive project improvements over the summer before the start of the new school year. All events will follow current CDC guidelines.

To learn more about the School Crashers program and view photos of past School Crashers recipients, visitgucufoundation.org/schoolcrashers.

About Georgia United Foundation

Georgia United Foundation is committed to improving the quality of life for children and families in the communities they serve through impactful programs funded and delivered through volunteerism by way of corporate contributions, team members and community efforts.  The Foundation is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) charitable organization and is the philanthropic arm of Georgia United Credit Union. For details on volunteering, participating or donating, visitgucufoundation.org.

About Georgia United Credit Union
Georgia United Credit Union is an award-winning financial leader and partner in education. Headquartered in Duluth, Georgia United is ranked as one of the state’s largest credit unions with $1.7 billion in assets and 168,000 members. As a full-service financial institution, they offer competitive products and services for every stage of life. Visitgucu.org to learn more.