Bright Futures
Bright Futures is a program at Ingraham that launched at the 2016-17 Friends of Ingraham Annual Auction, with the goal of providing resources that would allow the IHS Counseling team to more comprehensively support our students who are experiencing poverty or housing insecurity. Bright Futures works to normalize the high school experience for all students by funding basic needs such as food, clothing, toiletries and shoes; academic needs such as study workbooks and computers; and experiential needs such as club activity fees and uniforms. Bright Futures IS making a measurable difference.
Thanks to the continued generosity of our community, after the covid shutdown, FOI Bright Futures was able to distribute $2000 every week in grocery cards, as well as helping families access diapers, clothes, hygiene supplies and much more. As we all know, need does not end when the school year does; your donations allowed us to achieve our goal of continuing to support our families throughout the summer months.
The Bright Futures team is committed to serving our students during the pandemic. Like many others, Ingraham families are struggling with the economic crisis that this pandemic has created, including the more than 200 students at Ingraham who are experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity.
While we cannot predict what the next school year will look like, we can assume that the shutdown will have a lasting impact on our economy and that the needs of our students will be great. Bright Futures remains dedicated to meeting those needs and normalizing the high school experience for our Rams. If you would like to help us with this goal, please consider making a cash donation to Bright Futures here.
A portion of the initial funds were used to set up our Pride Closet, a place where students can access basic items necessary for success, such as school supplies, clothes, food, hygiene products, and more. Over the years, we have been able to loan tablets to students without access to computers at home, provide warm clothes and new socks during the wet Seattle winters, ensure that all students have access to healthy snacks during the school day, send meal baskets home to families during breaks, and so much more.
If you would like to help keep our Pride Closet stocked, there are a number of ways to contribute! We accept donations of snacks, toiletries, and gently used clothing year-round in the counseling office. Fresh new socks are always appreciated! Alternately, you can order through our Amazon wishlist and choose Ingraham High School as the delivery location, or purchase items at your favorite local store and either drop them off in the counseling office or have them sent to:
Ingraham High School
ATTN: FOI Bright Futures
1819 N 135th St
Seattle, WA 98133
If you would prefer to make a financial contribution, you can do so here simply choose “Cash Donation for Bright Futures” as your donation type.
Our expectation is that graduation is within the reach of every student who attends Ingraham and that Ingraham students are well prepared for life after high school. Thank you for your continued support and generosity, you are making a direct impact in the lives of our Ingraham students!
Some of the ways we have supported students are by:
Providing $8,207 for academic items such as backpacks, pens, and Chromebook loans.
Providing $12,329 for new clothing AND setting up a walk-in closet space for students to access donated new and gently used clothing.
"Many of our students live at Mary’s Place. One of these students desperately needed new and clean clothes. Mary’s Place has only TWO washers/dryers for 100 residents, so her clothes are not washed frequently. She was overjoyed to go to the PRIDE closet and receive new t-shirts, underwear and socks, as well as gently used donated jeans and Vans. Additionally we gave her an Ingraham sweatshirt; we give every one of our students who lives at Mary’s Place an Ingraham sweatshirt. She changed into her new clothes and I washed a load of her clothes at Ingraham. She was so grateful. I also gave her an old pair of my glasses that were 10 years old! She was so thankful she cried. I am very grateful to share the generosity of the Ingraham community." -IHS Counselor
Providing $3886 for food in the form of snacks during the school day, bolstered weekend food backpacks, and food baskets sent home over school breaks.
"Before winter break, we were able to provide rice, beans, canned goods, milk and other essentials for students who are housing insecure or financially insecure. We provided approximately 80 bags of extra food for our most needy families. I am always humbled at how the students are not finicky about the food items we give them. They are really grateful for your food donations because every penny counts when you are homeless or on the free lunch program." -IHS Counselor
