Echo Loder Elementary School

Echo Loder is an elementary school in Reno, Nevada. During a Jog-a-thon fundraising event, Lester and Marian Kaneta noticed that many of the kids were dressed in well-worn and ill-fitting clothes. They learned that many of the children were from disadvantaged homes with over 90 percent of them an ethnic minority. They also learned that there were a number of children from homeless families.

Based on the need they saw, the Kaneta Foundation decided to procure shirts for the entire school. Sizes for each students were gathered and an order for 1,800 shirts was placed. Using high-quality fabrics and embroidered with the school logo, three shirts were made for each student, teacher and administrative staff. The shirts were so appreciated and well-liked that it was incorporated into the school’s uniform.

It is the Kanetas hope to replicate these kinds of efforts in Hawaii.

Read thank you letters from student recipients.