RICHMOND, Va. – Four Richmond Public Schools have received a grant from the Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation to install laundry facilities inside their school.
Richmond Alternative High School, John Marshall High School, Swansboro Elementary School and Summer Hill Preschool Center, were among 42 schools in Virginia and Maryland to receive the Loads of Love (LOL) grant.
The program aims to help children impacted by homelessness by installing laundry facilities in schools and non-profits.
The on-site laundromat will allow schools to launder clothes for students from families with no means for cleaning them.
The goal of the program is to help students by providing them with the opportunity to have clean clothes, at no cost to their families. Overcoming this daily challenge could help improve student attendance and participation in school programs.
“Studies have shown that placing washers and dryers in schools and offering laundry services to students can help boost attendance rates, class participation and interest in extra-curricular activities,” said school officials.
Richmond Public Schools will use the grant money to purchase washer and dryer units, install them, and purchase laundry materials and supplies.
“This grant will afford our families and students the opportunity to utilize resources to help them move forward with their success and remove a barrier that prevents some of our students from attending school on a regular basis,” said Lamont Trotter, Principal of Richmond Alternative High School.
