Published: May 08, 2008 11:47 am            

Edmond Medical Center partners with Orvis Risner Elementary

EDMOND — Edmond Medical Center and Orvis Risner Elementary are teaming up for Adopt-a-School, a pilot program sponsored by the Edmond Area Chamber of Commerce.

“We’ve been trying to find a program to do with the Edmond schools,” said Lydia Miller, chamber director of communications.

The program gives area businesses a chance to adopt a school by providing volunteer and economic support throughout the year. The Chamber’s Education Council began researching in September to find the right match for the pilot program. Miller said Edmond Public Schools chose Orvis Risner for the first partnership because it had the most need and the least resources.

“We have a lot of lower socio-economic students and one-parent families,” said Ruthie Rayner, assistant principal.

Leslie Buford, Edmond Medical Center director of communication and community relations, said she thinks the hospital will make a good match for Orvis Risner because it has a large employee base and a lot of variety.

“My goal is to get 100 that will volunteer,” Buford said.

She said one employee already has collected books to donate to the school.

One of the main things hospital staff wants to do is encourage children to pursue sciences and medical fields because of the increasing shortage of nurses and doctors, Buford said.

Rayner said one of the needs the school had was a safer playground turf.

“Right now we have a gravel pit and railroad ties and it’s a tripping hazard,” she said.

Buford said Edmond Medical Center staff plans to help the school with a shoe drive. She said they will apply to Nike for a Nike Grand grant. If they are awarded the grant, Nike will take recycled shoes that have been collected and grind them into rubber turf.

Rayner said many employees plan to volunteer to read and garden with children. She said they hope to spark enough interest among students to start different clubs.

“We just really are excited about getting more adults to serve as role models for our students,” she said.

Volunteers already have come out to help rearrange classrooms, Rayner said. The school is restructuring classroom assignments so the younger grades will be grouped in the same area.

Miller said there will be a kick-off party for the new partnership in August. She said the Chamber’s Education Council will monitor the partnership for about a year. If the program is successful, the chamber hopes to have many more partnerships between businesses and schools the next year.

        

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