Next to the cafeteria, the secret backbone of the Franklin community, Schools Uniting Neighborhoods (SUN), has worked to connect and support the community for years. Led by SUN Site Manager Genavie Reyes and Extended Day and Tutoring Coordinator Brikaya William, the program is a vital part of the Franklin community.
SUN primarily aims to engage historically underserved students; however, the program hosts events for all and commits to working with any student in need. Additionally, they run the administration and formation of all school clubs. SUN also hosts monthly events, which all community members are encouraged to attend. So far this year, they’ve hosted a club fair, a harvest festival, and a “Twilight” movie night. The December event is yet to be announced at the time of publication. The program has deep connections with both the Latino and Pacific Islander communities at Franklin. Reyes explains that these connections, specifically with Pacific Islander students, were partially formed through former SUN Community School Site Manager Destiny Bucasas.
While SUN serves to connect the whole community, students can register to be a formal part of the program. They offer clubs and partner programs, as well as educational and social programming such as year-round tutoring and a program that provides snacks to students.
Reyes explains, “Our mission is to care for our community and meet them where they’re at. The goal is to make sure that they feel seen [and] their needs are met, whether that’s academic, social, [or] emotional.”
The program, which is run across Portland, is funded and administered through Multnomah County and several partner programs. At Franklin, it is co-funded by Impact NW, a social services nonprofit based in the Pacific Northwest. However, the program is still primarily run through Multnomah County.
SUN executes its mission through a laundry list of programs, most of which run based on student needs. This past year, after hearing from students that they needed support with earning their provisional instruction permit — the first step in earning a drivers’ licence — they hosted a summer program that worked with students through every step of the process, going as far as providing public transportation to and from the DMV.
Some of the currently active programs also include Jobs 101, which helps students with finding and maintaining jobs. The backpack program, which provides groceries to Franklin families, re-started in October after a brief hiatus due to budget cuts.
The cuts also extended to the program’s staff. Former site manager Bucasas was cut, leaving the small staff on even barer bones. Cuts happened at the county level which allots a yearly budget for the SUN Program, divided across the partner schools. Community members can support the program through a donation via SchoolPay.
No matter the student or situation, SUN meets everyone where they are at. William echoes that, encouraging everyone to stop by, saying “knock on our door, or just come walk by our door, step your foot in … reach out.”
