GOOD NEWS: Private School Looking To Community For Support
BERMUDA DUNES – Some families are forced to choose between their children’s education and money during these tough times.
At Christian Schools of the Desert (CSOD), 20% of the families may have to pull their kids, according to the school’s admissions director. But the school is hoping a golf tournament on Friday morning at Mission Hills Country Club will keep these families—and students—in place.
Ninth-grade Sarah Sawdey is one of those students whose family is struggling financially. Her father’s carpentry business is in jeopardy.
“It’s stressful,” Sarah says. “Because we don’t know when we’re going to get work and if we’re going to have [money] or not.”
CSOD is not an ordinary school. With only 450 students, the Bermuda Dunes campus is close-knit.
“It’s the little things,” explains Sarah’s younger sister Lauren, who is in 6th grade. “Would you like to sit down and eat with us? Or do you want to play with us?”
The students are like a big family, and when family members have to leave, it’s daunting.
“It breaks our hearts to have families who say ‘we want to be at your school, but we can’t because of the way the economy is going,” says Admissions Director Kirk Scott.
Scott says the school has done everything previously to assist families by lowering tuition and renting schoolbooks instead of purchasing them. But still, some families feel shunned.
The school’s goal is to raise $100,000 through the tournament. It’s a lofty goal, but these are people who are willing to hold out for a miracle.
Scott explains that everyone is concerned about education, and students should be able to remain in the school of their choice. He has faith in the generosity of others in the Coachella Valley.
All golfers are expected to come out swinging!
Here are the details regarding Friday’s tournament:
Mission Hills Country Club34-600 Mission Hills DriveRancho Mirage
Player Check-in: 7:00 – 7:30 a.m.Shotgun Start: 8:00 a.m.Awards Luncheon: Noon
Registration is $195 per person, which includes a golf cart and awards luncheon. Entrants will compete for closest to the pin, long drive and hole-in-one contests, and will be eligible for other gifts. The hole-in-one prize is a 2009 Mustang Convertible, courtesy of Palm Springs Motors.
For more information about the scholarship tournament, call (760) 345-2848 or register online at www.csod.org.
