Miranda Perez is a mother on a mission to make a difference for students across Chattanooga.
And she’s doing just that through the Ooltewah Harrison Education Foundation she is leading and helped found earlier this year.
So far, the foundation, also known as D9 in reference to the county district that houses it, has held several campaigns and events to raise awareness for the education initiative and to cover the group’s operational costs.
Most recently, the group hosted the Hot Cocoa 5K – the first official fundraising event for D9’s mission to supplement tax dollars so that students in all five of the district’s elementary schools have access to everything they need for a quality education.
Perez said 130 runners braved the cold weather Nov. 15 to participate in the fundraiser.
“But we don’t want to just call them fundraisers. We want them to become traditions,” she said. “We want to involve parents, involve the community. We want to incorporate the family and create memories as well as raise money.”
Ooltewah’s Wired Coffee gave out more than 8 gallons of hot chocolate to event-goers and the East Hamilton Ministerial Association donated $500 to the cause, said Perez.
The Dine Out for D9 campaign event in early November, in which various area restaurants donated a portion of their proceeds to the organization, raised $400 to help kick start the group.
Although the group is just in the beginning phase, so far, community response has been overwhelmingly positive, said Perez.
“The consensus is that this has been needed and wanted for a long time,” she said. “There is so much negative news and I want to make a positive difference – especially for our children. The response I’ve received fills my heart with joy.”
With a son enrolled in Ooltewah Elementary, Perez said she is driven by the knowledge that tax dollars and current funding are not enough to meet the school’s needs.
“All five elementary schools [in District 9] need money to hire art teachers, but many need the most basic things that operate a school, like paper and ink cartridges,” she said. “Teachers spend their own money and we want to be there to help alleviate some of that pain.”
For now, the foundation is focusing solely on the five elementary schools in school District 9. Perez plans to grow the organization once it can sustainably give to each grade school. Within the next couple of years, she hopes to be able to give each of the five schools $45,000.
She said she is already planning fundraising events for 2015 – including a hopefully more successful Dine Out event when spring brings warmer weather – and encourages everyone to spread the word.
“We just want to provide the cherry on top of the sundae for the PTA and other organizations in our area,” said Perez. “We’re here and we’re eager.”
For more information about the Ooltewah Harrison Education Foundation, visit D9strong.com.