Imagine a bright, colorful, cheery place for kids to go after school where there are caring adults, health snacks and community volunteers serving as tutors and mentors now imagine this space with computers for the children, shelves of resources and storybooks, work tables and chairs, carpet and brightly painted walls, and you’ve just envisioned what is slowly taking shape in Johnson City.
For several weeks, over 150 volunteers from ETSU and the community have labored on holidays and Saturdays renovating spaces in seven Johnson City Housing Authority neighborhoods and creating Homework Labs for schoolchildren.
A federal grant from the Corporation for National Service given in celebration of the national Martin Luther King Day was awarded to ETSU in support of this effort, said Dr. Deborah White, ETSU assistant vice president for student life and leadership.
“The grant has provided bookshelves, computer desks, folding chairs, rebuilt computers and computer printers,” White said. “Greater Johnson City’s Promise has sent the Little Red Wagon on Parade to provide items on the Homework Lab’s wish list, but donations are still needed.”
The current wish list for the project includes Desk Jet printer paper, current world atlases (7); electric pencil sharpeners (6); 18 x 24 dry erase boards (7); dry erase markers and erasers (3 sets); surge protectors (5); new or used PCs with CD-ROM drive (7); bean bag chairs (14); neutral 8 x 10 room-sized rugs (6); and math flash cards, all operations (7 sets). In addition, funds for education software are sought.
White thanked the following supporting businesses and organizations: Sears, Johnson City Press, JC Penney, Pepsi, Pizza Hut, Sally’s Wholesale Carpets, Domino’s Pizza, and Carpet and Doormat.
She also thanked the following ETSU entities for their volunteer efforts and work: Leadership House, chapters of Pi Kappa Alpha and Sigma Chi fraternities, Alpha Xi Delta sorority; Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity, Pan-Hellenic Council, Center for Student Life and Leadership, Community Part-nerships and Athletics. Greater Johnson City’s Promise, the Johnson City Housing Authority and several anonymous donors also received her praise.
The leadership of the community resident centers commented, “We appreciate ETSU thinking of us and wanting to help make this happen.”
White said the goal is to formally open the labs to the public on Friday from 3:15-4 p.m. Special openings activities will take place at Keystone Resident Center, 1136 E. Main St.; Memorial Resident Center, 127 Dyer St.; Parkway-Dunbar Resident Center, 908 John Exum Parkway; and Pinecrest Resident Center, 525 Joy Court.
For more information on how to assist in this effort, call White at 439-5675.

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