Springfield, MO - Care to Learn and the Silver Dollar City Foundation are partnering to expand access to health, hunger, and hygiene resources for more than 12,000 students in Stone and Taney counties.
The partnership, branded as “Together for Kids,” will establish ten new Care to Learn Chapters in the following school districts by the end of the 2025-2026 school year: Blue Eye, Branson, Crane, Galena, Kirbyville, Mark Twain, Shell Knob, Spokane, Taneyville, and Forsyth. It will also provide additional support to existing area Care to Learn Chapters in Bradleyville, Hollister, Hurley, and Reeds Spring.
“Silver Dollar City Foundation has already shown a deep commitment to students,” says Krystal Simon, CEO of Care to Learn. “This partnership will extend that commitment beyond the classroom into the daily lives of students, ensuring they are ready to learn. Together, we can remove barriers to education for thousands of children and build a brighter future for students.”
Care to Learn is a nonprofit dedicated to partnering with 55+ Missouri school districts and community members to meet children’s emergent health, hunger, and hygiene needs so they can succeed in school. Since 2008, Care to Learn has met more than 4.6 million needs. Beyond eyeglasses and vision exams, Care to Learn helps with emergency dental needs, prescriptions, assistive devices such as power chairs and hearing aids, mental health services, and more.
“For 20 years, Silver Dollar City Foundation has been empowering educators to meet the physical needs of students," says Mindy Honey, Executive Director of Silver Dollar City Foundation. "This partnership means we'll continue to meet those needs and many more. This partnership is about ensuring our area educators have the resources and funding they need so when they see a need, they can meet a need.”
Founded in 1996, Silver Dollar City Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Silver Dollar City Parks and Resorts. The Foundation works through local schools to help children and families in our community. This partnership will expand the impact of the Foundation's Care for Kids with the Care to Learn model.
To learn more about the “Together for Kids” partnership, visit www.caretolearn.org/togetherforkids or email Melissa Rea, Vice President of Chapter Services at melissa@caretolearn.org.
Care to Learn exists to provide immediate funding to meet emergent needs in the areas of health, hunger, and hygiene so every student can be successful in school. Founded by Doug Pitt, Care to Learn is headquartered in Springfield, Mo., and partners with 55+ school districts across the state of Missouri. To learn more, visit www.caretolearn.org.
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