A new initiative in a Lowell, Massachusetts, middle school hopes to not only address the needs of their most vulnerable community but to also teach them important life skills.
Butler Middle School is now offering a student-run laundromat service inside their campus.
It’s a project created by the students for students.
Complete with a washer and dryer, it's ready to bring a fresh start to those kids who need it most.
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“Sometimes there wasn’t enough money to wash.”
Yarismar Rijo is a seventh-grade student at the school. She says she understands firsthand the struggles of not having clean clothes.
She and her peers got together to create this important initiative.
“People were really feeling bad about themselves because they used to get bullied because they didn’t have clean clothes and they really felt bad for themselves. They didn’t want to come to school.” Rijo, said.
This initiative is not only helping those students that need it most but it’s also teaching students essential life skills, said Principal Jaime Moody.
“We actually had a kid that said, I don’t wash my clothes, my parents wash my clothes. I give this to my mom. So when we think about really building our students in a holistic way, it’s through skills like this,” Moody said.
Around 27% of students at The Butler Middle School are new to the country and another 15% are homeless.
Eighth grade science teacher Alejandra Cabrera says having this laundry service is not only to help those students facing life’s challenges but lift a weight off loved ones' shoulders.
“We know there are like certain needs that students have. So if their most basic needs are not being met, that keeps students from being fully present in the school and being able to learn and to be their best selves. Which is truly all we want for our students,” Cabrera said.
This project was made possible with a donation from The Carr Foundation and now kids like Jason will have one less thing to worry about.
“This is going to help the grades of the students because students won’t have to worry about how they appear so they can focus on their school work," he said.
The Butler Middle School is one of the only schools in Lowell doing something like this. Their hope is to inspire other districts to do the same.
