"Before the year is over, a Spark Park will be completed at James S. Hogg Middle School. I'm sure of it,"
assures Principal Imelda Medrano. That statement has been a long time in coming, but this month it can become a reality.
Saturday, September 13th from 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm, Medrano and the Hogg staff will host what they hope to be their final fundraising event. A Silent Auction will be held at Bill Baldwin's wonderfully remodeled home at 205 Bayland Street. The event will have a "Roaring Back to the Twenties" theme and attendees are encouraged, but not required, to dress in the period's styles.
Medrano and her staff began fundraising for the school's SPARK Park over two years ago. At that time, they believed that, like other HISD neighborhood schools, Hogg would receive a portion of the project's cost through federal funding. Although they were working closely with Kathleen Ownby, Director of SPARK, they were handed some very disappointing news early into the project.
"Hogg Middle School has been located at 1100 Merrill Street in the Woodland Heights since 1926. Although our students' family incomes qualify Hogg to receive Title I funding, the property values around us have risen so dramatically over the past few years that Hogg was not eligible for federal grant funding, " states Medrano. "After we got over the initial shock of being ineligible, we decided to roll up our sleeves and get to work. Hogg students deserve the exercise track and outdoor classroom space that we have planned for the campus. That's the reason the staff and I have worked so hard - so far we have over $100,000 - with only another $10,000 to go!"
The school's efforts have been helped by many companies and organizations over the past two years including Spark, The Brown Foundation, Baylor College of Medicine and Memorial Herman Hospital. They also received $5,000 in funding from Houston ISD. For this final event, Karen Derr of Karen Derr & Associates has stepped up to give Hogg the final boost it needs to get them over the top. Not only did the Heights realtor help by designing some of the team's fundraising materials, but agent Bill Baldwin also offered the use of his spacious home for the event.
"In these final days before the auction, we are organizing the many generous donations we have received. Now, we would like to invite the entire Heights community to what will be a fun-filled event," says Medrano. For more information about the auction, or to purchase a ticket to the evening's event, please contact Principal Medrano at 713-802-4700 during school hours, or by e-mail (imedrano@houstonisd.org).
Saturday, September 13th from 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm, Medrano and the Hogg staff will host what they hope to be their final fundraising event. A Silent Auction will be held at Bill Baldwin's wonderfully remodeled home at 205 Bayland Street. The event will have a "Roaring Back to the Twenties" theme and attendees are encouraged, but not required, to dress in the period's styles.
Medrano and her staff began fundraising for the school's SPARK Park over two years ago. At that time, they believed that, like other HISD neighborhood schools, Hogg would receive a portion of the project's cost through federal funding. Although they were working closely with Kathleen Ownby, Director of SPARK, they were handed some very disappointing news early into the project.
"Hogg Middle School has been located at 1100 Merrill Street in the Woodland Heights since 1926. Although our students' family incomes qualify Hogg to receive Title I funding, the property values around us have risen so dramatically over the past few years that Hogg was not eligible for federal grant funding, " states Medrano. "After we got over the initial shock of being ineligible, we decided to roll up our sleeves and get to work. Hogg students deserve the exercise track and outdoor classroom space that we have planned for the campus. That's the reason the staff and I have worked so hard - so far we have over $100,000 - with only another $10,000 to go!"
The school's efforts have been helped by many companies and organizations over the past two years including Spark, The Brown Foundation, Baylor College of Medicine and Memorial Herman Hospital. They also received $5,000 in funding from Houston ISD. For this final event, Karen Derr of Karen Derr & Associates has stepped up to give Hogg the final boost it needs to get them over the top. Not only did the Heights realtor help by designing some of the team's fundraising materials, but agent Bill Baldwin also offered the use of his spacious home for the event.
"In these final days before the auction, we are organizing the many generous donations we have received. Now, we would like to invite the entire Heights community to what will be a fun-filled event," says Medrano. For more information about the auction, or to purchase a ticket to the evening's event, please contact Principal Medrano at 713-802-4700 during school hours, or by e-mail (imedrano@houstonisd.org).
