Recharge: In Support of Our Teachers

The Schools Foundation, founded in 2000, is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization with one fundamental goal: to support principals, teachers, and students in Huntsville City Schools, Madison County Schools, and Madison City Schools of Alabama. The Schools Foundation has been a critical resource in the lifeblood of our education system and is always looking for innovative ways to equip our teachers with the knowledge and life skills they need to thrive.

Coupled with similar motivations, the team of volunteers that developed RECHARGE approached The Schools Foundation as they were deemed a ‘perfect home’ for RECHARGE to live. Well, The Schools Foundation agreed and formally adopted RECHARGE in December of 2022, celebrating with a series of ‘give back’ days to help teachers unwind during the busy holiday season. This will be the first of many RECHARGE initiatives designed to support our area teachers' mental health and wellness.

How’d RECHARGE get started, exactly?

Leadership Greater Huntsville’s 2022 Flagship program is an organization that connects leaders within the community through advocacy, servant leadership opportunities, and professional development.  Throughout this 10-month program, the 54 members are broken into small groups, of which are responsible for a small group project that somehow gives back to our community.

Throughout our experience with Flagship, we’ve learned about the severe challenges around local area teacher retention, recruitment, and burnout.  As we all know, the last two years have been very stressful for everyone and even more so for our teachers.  Currently, there are not enough teachers to support the students in our school system and the ratio of teachers to students is declining rapidly. 

Our small group, called Team Yellowhammer,  decided to address some of the challenges our teachers have faced over the past two years and demonstrate appreciation through hands-on engagement to fuel self-care and improve their overall mental health. 

This program, called Recharge, launched during Teacher Appreciation Week in May 2022 and aims to provide a website full of tailored, informative content that’s been produced in collaboration with North Alabama’s largest and most comprehensive behavioral healthcare provider, WellStone, as well as locally owned Solid Ground Counseling Center, who focuses on family behavioral health.  

You can learn more about WellStone and Solid Ground in the videos below. If you’re interested in getting involved in Recharge or donating to this worthy cause, please reach out to The Schools Foundation.

The Schools Foundation supports Huntsville City, Madison City, and Madison County public schools through programming, funding, and advocacy for principals, teachers, and students.

256-535-2080

P.O. Box 763

Huntsville, AL 35804

info@theschoolsfoundation.org