What does a community service group do when they find out that the COVID pandemic has widened the gap in learning and achievement for school-aged children? It takes action.
The Shenandoah Valley Kiwanis Club, which serves the Staunton-Augusta County-Waynesboro community, is taking a novel approach to the learning gap problem. We're launching this fun and unique fundraiser to find the "Coolest Pet in the Shenandoah Valley." Some might ask—what does a pet contest have to do with learning? The answer is—nothing. That's not the point.
The past two years have been very challenging for families with school-aged children. Educators, parents and students have come to know firsthand the high cost that the pandemic has caused in education. In addition to increased anxiety and depression among students, it has widened the gap in learning and achievement. While the return last fall to the classroom has improved things somewhat, a recent
article on COVID-19 and learning loss reported that the cumulative learning loss could be substantial.
The Staunton-Augusta-Waynesboro (SAW) Tutoring Network is striving to address this learning gap by offering free tutoring to students K-12. In 2020-21, over 200 students were provided academic assistance through the Tutoring Network for help with such things as homework assignments, test preparation and the re-enforcement of learning and academic skills that are needed for success in the classroom.
All contest proceeds will go to the SAW Tutoring Network to help expand its offerings and enable both in-person as well as virtual options to meet the area student need. More information on the SAW Tutoring Network can be found at
www.sawtutoring.org The Community Foundation of the Central Blue Ridge will be providing a matching grant for the first $2000 raised by the contest.
We want the community to have fun with this contest and hope it brings greater awareness to the needs of students who have been impacted in their learning and achievement by the pandemic.
If your pet is the "coolest of the cool", please go to
Enter Contest now!
Prizes
Prizes will be awarded to the
Top 3 Pets that receive the most votes.
Top Pet -- First Place:
The pet with the most votes will be named the "Coolest Pet in the Shenandoah Valley" for 2022. The winning pet and their "pet parents" will receive a $250 Visa gift card. The winning pet's photo will be featured on the SVKC's Coolest Pet website and contest website.
The family will also receive a "Coolest Pet" sign to place in their front yard to further publicize their big win and let all who pass by know that the "coolest pet" lives here!
2nd Place:
The 2
nd place coolest pet will be deemed the "Second Coolest Pet in the Shenandoah Valley" for 2022. The second-place pet's family will receive a $150 Visa gift card.
3rd Place:
The 3
rd place coolest pet will be deemed "Third Coolest Pet in the Shenandoah Valley" for 2022. The third-place pet's family will receive a $100 Visa gift card.