LOUISVILLE, Ky. — GE Appliances is donating washers and dryers to Jefferson County Public Schools laundry centers to ensure students can feel comfortable coming to school by always having access to freshly-cleaned clothes.
On Friday, GE announced a partnership with JCPS, Louisville's largest school district, to supply appliances for school laundry centers across the district.
The Louisville-based manufacturer has donated more than 100 appliances to JCPS schools and will now offer laundry units to all 172 schools.
Peter Pepe, vice president of Clothes Care for GE Appliances, said the company and JCPS have had a long-standing partnership where they've donated many resources.
“Through those donations, we learned the need for laundry appliances goes well beyond teaching daily life skills, but actually affects student attendance and performance by supplying a resource for students who may not have access to laundry services at home or in their neighborhood," Pepe said. "We’re committed to families across this city we call home. If the donation of laundry appliances helps student attendance and performance, we’re all in without question.”
Koki Harris, head of student support at Fern Creek High School, said how many of a struggle its been to get kids to come to school.
“Despite our best efforts to get kids to school, we still experienced high levels of absenteeism from specific populations of students," Harris said. "Through our own research we discovered nearly 6% of our students were absent on any given day because they lacked clean clothing. If it’s a choice between coming to school dirty and have kids make fun of you, or staying home, they’ll stay home.”
Fern Creek High School launched the “laundry and loot” program, which encourages students to bring their laundry to school for cleaning. Since the launch of the program, student engagement and attendance has increased at the school.
“GE Appliances has always been a tremendous partner, doing everything they can to help make our students and families successful,” Dr. Marty Pollio, JCPS superintendent, said “We appreciate this next step to ensure every child, in every school, has the opportunity to feel and look their best.”
Schools can submit their request for laundry appliances using the GE Appliances Community Investment online portal.
Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users.
Have a news tip? Email assign@whas11.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.