GIVE THE GIFT OF HEALING - Shade Tree Academy Sponsorship Opportunities

The History of our School Building Project

 
Since 2016, starting with the inspiration of three foster adoptive mother,  and through the generosity of many donors like you, ASA Now has been able to help to provide assistance to offset the costs of clothing, food,  school supplies, tutoring, after school programs, birthday  and holiday presents, respite and life skills to more than 55,000 children impacted by foster care in Arizona. 

In 2018, we recognized a genuine need to establish a trauma-focused school staffed by clinicians educated in traumatology, neurodevelopment, and attachment theory. This school would offer a high-quality education to children facing significant academic, behavioral, and social challenges, especially those who had experienced ruptured attachments due to separation from their family of origin—children whose lives had been impacted by foster care. Our aim was to provide them with an opportunity to improve their lives while imparting sound values, emotional self-regulation techniques, a sense of service to others, and respect for the dignity of all individuals they encounter.

In 2021, after a year of working with architectural faculty at ADM Group, as well as developers at Davcon Aviation and Mesa Hangar designing and planning a school which incorporates best practices for educating children impacted by trauma, we were excited to report that we’ve secured two million dollars donated by Randy Hansen founder of Mesa Hanger and an additional two million dollars from Dell Loy Hansen from the Dell Loy Hansen Family Foundation and we know that our goal of five million dollars is within reach. The architectural design for the school has been completed and with the help of David Wakefield from Davcon Aviation, building permits will soon be acquired. We aim to start the construction of Shade Tree Academy in the fall of 2023!

Our Dream is Within Reach

We have a dream to build a 2-story, 18,171 sq ft trauma-focused private school where children and youth who struggle to thrive in a traditional school can receive an education tailored to their individual needs. Our dream is to serve 100 children at a time, providing them with the tools, resources and support needed to help them be successful in their return to their school of origin. 

This will be a healing space offering assistance to children struggling in school due to significant trauma resulting from the loss of primary attachment figures and the circumstances surrounding that loss. It will be a private school taught by an academic instructor and a licensed therapist educated in traumatology, neurodevelopment, and attachment, with a 10 to 1 student-to-instructor ratio and additional classroom support from interns working towards their licensure hours. 

Our mission is to equip children with the social-emotional skills required to succeed in school, remain in school, and thrive in life. 

Currently, we are operating by serving eight students in borrowed space, but we are determined to build the school to provide more children and youth in need with the opportunities to thrive, regardless of the challenges they have faced.

We invite you to help us reach the finish line. Join us in raising the final $300,000 required to furnish, equip, and operate Shade Tree Academy. Your contribution can turn this dream into a reality for children and youth in need.

We warmly welcome donations of any amount and kindly request your support for our mission. Your involvement has been an integral part of our journey, and it is your commitment that continues to bestow upon our community the invaluable "Gift of Hope." Thank you! 

STATISTICS:

Children whose trauma history has created obstacles which hinder their achievement within a school setting. are a unique population of students with needs that cannot be ignored. They face tremendous obstacles on their path to adulthood and we aim to successfully help them to overcome the grim statistics they currently face such as: 

*Academically, studies have indicated that foster children perform below grade level, score lower than their peers on standardized tests, and are more likely to fail a course and repeat a grade. Behaviorally, foster children have higher suspension and expulsion rates than their peers, and often need frequent redirection from their teachers and socially, studies have indicated that foster children have difficulty engaging and interacting with their classmates. Because of these difficulties, foster children are often stereotyped as troublemakers or failures in the academic arena.

*Suspension and expulsion hinder the educational process. It is reported 24% of children and youth in foster care had either been suspended or expelled from school; the national average for all children is 7%.While the student is removed from the classroom, suspension and expulsion do not address the underlying issues that caused the negative behavior that began the removal process. It is clear that foster youth bring emotional and behavioral challenges into a classroom and that the educational system may not be adequately prepared to meet those unique needs. Foster children need specific and individualized programs designed to address their challenges. Suspensions are a predictor of student outcomes, which include crime, delinquency, and drug use.

Our national statistics show:

*Foster children are diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) at six times the general population and double the rate of veterans returning from war.

*Students in foster care move schools at least once or twice a year. Children are estimated to lose four to six months of academic progress per move, which puts most foster care children years behind their peers. School transfers also decrease the chances a foster care student will ever graduate from high school.

*65% of children in foster care experience seven or more school changes from elementary to high school

*It is estimated that up to 80 percent of the over 400,000 children in foster care in America suffer from a mental health issue compared to 18-22 percent of the general population of children.

*Girls in foster care are 600 percent more likely than the general population to become pregnant before the age of 21. 

Incarcerated within 2 years of “Age Out”        50%
Former Foster Kids in U.S. Prison                   74%
Former Foster Youth on Death Row                80%
Number of Foster Kids that graduate high school  33%
Number of Foster Kids that graduate from College 3%

*Sixty-six percent of youth will be homeless, go to jail or die within two years of leaving the foster care system at 18.While these statistics are disheartening, there are things we can do as a community to help kids heal.

*Youth emancipating from foster care typically face many obstacles during their educational journeys, obstacles that can hinder their ability to graduate on time or receive a high school diploma. Prior to child welfare involvement, youth may have missed many days or even months of school due to residential movement by the biological family because of eviction, homelessness, or other issues. While in foster care, despite federal protections to ensure school stability, they may have had multiple placements that resulted in multiple school changes. Research has shown that students in foster care score 16 to 20 percentile points below their peers in state standardized testing and that fewer than 60 percent graduate from high school. Only three percent of children who have been in foster care go on to postsecondary education

Please consider making a charitable donation to Shade Tree Academy to help us operate, furnish and equip Shade Tree Academy. Additional federal duductions and state tax credit contributions can be found below.  

*Note that state tax credits are independent, so taxpayers can take advantage of multiple tax credits on the same tax return. Through the individual tax credits, donors can take full advantage of Arizona’s state tax credits, including the ability to combine multiple tax credits and carry forward the tax benefits over five years.

To learn more about state tax credits click HERE.

ADDITIONAL ARIZONA TAX CREDITS:

If you're interested in making an additional charitable contribution for state tax credits, we encourage you to explore two of ASA Now's programs:

1. Qualifying Foster Care Charitable Organization (QFCO) Contribution: ASA Now EIN #81-2819648 QFCO #10046. Donate HERE.

2. Qualifying Charitable Organization (QCO) Contribution: Jacob's Mission Community Center (an out-of-school program). EIN #86-2597271 QCO #22443. Donate HERE.

3. Qualifying Private School Tuition Contribution: Shade Tree Academy (a trauma-focused school for children impacted by foster care). EIN #46-1879761. Donate - Individaul State Tax Credit HERE C-Corp and Insurance HERE.

If a donation is being made, payment can be made via PAYPAL, otherwise scroll down and select Pay with Debit or Credit Card.