The Empowerment Academy (EA) has launched an Adopt-A-Room capital campaign. It allows individuals or organizations to help empower students to reach their educational potential by providing safe, long-term housing with access to basic necessities and life skills training.
“We are excited to invite the community to contribute to our mission of housing high school students at Empowerment Academy,” said EA Public Information Officer Corey King. “The facility is under roof. Throughout the process, we have been blessed with donations of product and labor from local contractors and suppliers in addition to our early donors.”
Donations of various amounts are available for investors, and groups may work together and combine funds. To see the rooms available for adoption, click here.
The cost to adopt a room are: bedrooms for $15,000 each; bathrooms for $30,000; computer/study labs for $50,000; teaching and learning kitchen as well as gathering hall for $250,000; or naming rights to the facility for $250,000.
Donors may request additional information and/or a facility tour via email [email protected].
The Empowerment Academy is located at the corner of Ohio Street and Hanning Lane near English Park. It will be able to house 27 students once construction is complete.
King previously said it’s estimated that as many as 400 students in Daviess County are considered homeless by federal standards.
However, not everyone can be accepted into the Academy. To start, the EA will only accept students that are 18 years old. They must also be actively trying to further their education or get into the workforce. King also stressed that it’s not an emergency shelter but is long-term housing for students.
“You probably wonder why 18. Believe it or not, there are parents that will kick their kids out, or maybe they fall on misfortunes and now they find themselves couch hopping from location to location,” King said in March during a “Raise the Roof” event to show off the construction progress as well as highlight the need for community involvement. “That is not a stable living, and not conducive for a good educational environment. We work closely with the school counselors who can tell us which students are the ones who have the heart and want to continue on with their education.”
For more information on the Empowerment Academy or to donate, click here.
“We are indebted to founding and past board members who saw a significant need in our community and paved the road for those of us on the board now,” said EA board chair Will Mounts. “Our community has been generous and we are looking forward to working with new partners to make Empowerment Academy a reality for student in need.”
