Charles Barrett Elementary School’s Adopt-a-Gym program has raised more than $10,300 to purchase physical education equipment for schools in need. The program provides schools with equipment that will enable them to run an effective P.E. program, helping students develop lifelong healthy fitness habits.
The program has provided donations for purchasing equipment at two schools in D.C., one in New York City, one in El Salvador, and most recently in Richmond and Louisiana. Barrett selects two schools each year as beneficiaries of the program.
Southside Elementary School in Louisiana suffered extensive flooding in 2016. The entire inventory of gym equipment they had amassed through small donations over time was completely wiped out. In February, Charles Barrett hosted a Dance-a-thon at which more than 100 students raised $3,400, enough to fulfill the wish lists of the schools in Louisiana and Richmond and fund a donation to the Carpenter’s Shelter in Alexandria.
More than $1,100 was donated to the Alexandria Carpenter’s Shelter in the form of food, gift cards & SmartTrip Metro passes in an effort to help local families get back on their feet.
Our students committed an incredibly philanthropic act of donating without receiving something in return except for the pleasure of knowing that they are making a difference in the lives of students in a tough situation,” said Kevin McGrath, the program’s founder and a physical education teacher at Barrett.
McGrath would really love to see the program grow at schools within ACPS and beyond. Last weekend he gave a presentation about Adopt-a-Gym at the Virginia Association Physical Education conference in West Virginia. He has also been invited to present about Adopt-a-Gym in July at the National P.E. Institute in Asheville, N.C. and the Virginia P.E. Institute at James Madison University.
At the these conferences, I hope to recruit other schools to expand the reach of the program by hosting fundraising events and activities. I also hope to connect with other schools who find themselves in need,” said McGrath.
The Adopt-a-Gym program exemplifies ACPS 2020 Strategic Plan Goal 5: Health and Wellness – ACPS will promote efforts to enable students to be healthy and ready to learn. P.E. teachers who are interested in learning more about how they can bring Adopt-a-Gym to their school, can contact Kevin McGrath directly at kevin.mcgrath@acps.k12.va.us