Georgia United Foundation Donates New Sensory Room to New Hope Middle School
Dalton, GA – On September 16, 2020, Georgia United held an official ribbon cutting ceremony at New Hope Middle School in Dalton to celebrate the school’s new sensory room, provided by the Georgia United Foundation 2020 School Crashers® program.
Earlier in July, Georgia United team members, volunteers and donor partners helped transform an unused computer room in the school into a sensory room, giving students a safe place to relax, calm and refocus. New Hope Middle School is a unique middle school in Whitfield County that has two extraordinary programs. There is a self-contained class for students with intellectual disabilities and a self-contained/resource classroom with students with autism. Both programs serve many students with exceptionalities that range from autism, intellectual disorders, physical impairments, visual impairments and oppositional defiant disorders.
“We are beyond excited for our students at New Hope Middle to experience the new sensory room provided to us through the Georgia United Credit Union Foundation School Crashers grant,” shared Principal Belinda Sloan. “This unique classroom environment will enable a special population of our students to have their sensory needs met in various ways, allowing for optimal success in the academic classrooms and fostering positive relationships with their peers. We are on the countdown to the first day of school and cannot wait to let our students see our new sensory room!”
School Crashers is the Foundation’s largest community service program that offers schools across the state the opportunity to apply for a school facility makeover. The program brings together communities by supporting local school systems with the end goal of improving the learning environment for the students, faculty and staff. Georgia United Foundation opened the School Crashers nomination period in March to all accredited K-12 schools in Georgia. Interested schools were asked to include a photograph along with a 250-word essay explaining why their school should receive a makeover. Though schools were unexpectedly ordered to close mid-March due the coronavirus pandemic, almost 300 submissions for this year’s program were received. After a rigorous judging process, seven Georgia schools were named grant recipients for the 2020 program.
About Georgia United Foundation:
Georgia United Foundation is committed to improving the quality of life for children and families in the communities they serve through impactful programs funded by way of corporate contributions and delivered through volunteerism from the credit union and community partners. The Foundation is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) charitable organization and is the philanthropic arm of Georgia United Credit Union. Visit gucufoundation.org to learn more.
About Georgia United Credit Union:
Georgia United Credit Union is an award-winning financial leader and partner in education. Headquartered in Duluth, Georgia United is ranked as one of the state’s largest credit unions with over $1.5 billion in assets, 168,000 members and 19 branch locations. As a full-service financial institution, they offer competitive products and services for every stage of life. Visit gucu.org to learn more and follow the credit union on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.