$100K donation to make ‘lasting difference’ for struggling Richland school kids
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Northwest United Protestant Church closed and endowed $100,000 to Jefferson Elementary.
- 3 Rivers Community Foundation will invest the gift as an enduring endowment.
- Endowment will fund annual grants for the Richland, Washington, elementary school as district cuts supplies in 2025.
Students at a Tri-Cities elementary school who struggle to have clean clothes and school supplies will have more of their needs met thanks to a new $100,000 endowment.
With both its congregation and coffers thinning, Northwest United Protestant Church in Richland decided earlier this year to close its doors for good. As a final gift to the community, members of one of the Tri-Cities’ oldest churches have divided up its final bit of money and sales from the church to benefit several nonprofits, including nearby Jefferson Elementary.
In February, the cash-strapped Richland School District stopped buying school supplies for elementary and middle school students starting with the 2025-26 school year. Instead, families will need to provide their kid’s supplies and local nonprofits would step up to help struggling families.
More than 400 K-5 students attend Jefferson and about two-thirds come from low-income backgrounds.
But church’s new endowment for the school, managed by 3 Rivers Community Foundation, means fewer students will face barriers to a quality education.
Richland Superintendent Shelley Redinger said the district was “grateful” for the generous gift.
“Establishing this fund reflects a strong commitment to education and our community and will make a lasting difference for our students for years to come,” she said in a statement.
Abbey Cameron, CEO of 3 Rivers, said adding the dollars to their community endowment built over the last quarter century will allow for “a perpetual impact on our community.”
The fund will provide annual grants to the Jefferson.
From the initial $100,000, about $4,000 was distributed immediately for the start of this school year. The remaining balance will be invested and endowed to grow and sustain funds for future investments in the school’s student population.
