MAKING AN IMPACT
Heinz Fellows offer support services at economically challenged schools in city
When Mark Brentley Jr. arrived at Pittsburgh Weil Elementary in the Hill District as part of a fellowship program last school year, one of the first things he said he did was ask teachers how he could be helpful.
One had an immediate suggestion: The school could use a washer and a dryer. Some of the students didn’t always have clean or dry clothes, and it was disrupting their focus on their schoolwork.
Mr. Brentley arranged for the donation of a used washer set, but it wasn’t accepted because district policy requires that donations like that still be in the box. So the idea for Weil’s Closet was born.
He and two other Heinz Fellows cleared a storage space and stacked it floor-to-ceiling with clothes and shoes that have been donated by local businesses, churches and individuals. Since November, students have been able to take more than 550 items they need, signing out items like book bags, belts and socks that they can keep. In the meantime, the school acquired a donation of a new washer and dryer.
“I think that if we tackle the opportunity gap and we tackle the different challenges within a school, then I think we’ll be on the right track here,” Mr. Brentley said.
Now in his second year at Weil, Mr. Brentley is a senior Heinz Fellow, one of 15 members of the Heinz Fellow program who are stationed at Pittsburgh Public’s three schools in the Hill District: Weil PreK-5, Miller PreK-5 and Milliones 6-12. The Heinz Fellows program is funded by the Heinz Endowments and operated through a partnership with the University of Pittsburgh’s