Meet Arianna Bumgarner
Tell us about yourself, what brought you to Coupeville?
My name is Arianna Bumgarner - I was born in Coupeville and raised in Oak Harbor, but spent much of my formative years exploring and growing up in Central Whidbey. After a few years away in Bellingham I returned to the Island in 2018 and quickly found the McKinney-Vento/Foster Care Liaison position at the Coupeville School District. I have spent the last decade working with housing services and Spanish-Speakers and love that I am able to continue this work here in this community that I love!
Why is supporting children that are served by the Student Support Service Programs important to you?
Every single young person has potential, and lots of it. It is the intention of the Student Support Programs to serve those students that will see the most hurdles in their path to reaching that potential, to remove what barriers we can, and to provide support in overcoming the rest. Providing resources to these students is vital to allowing them to focus on being the students, and eventually, adults that they can become, which is important not only for the futures of the individual students, but also the community at large.
How does support to the Student Support Service Resource Fair help you make a difference in family's lives?
The Community Resource Fair has three main purposes in my mind:
1) Putting tangible resources into the hands of those that don’t have them,
2) Connecting individuals to resources that can support overcoming barriers in the future, and
3) Building community connections between the resource providers, the Student Support staff, and our students and families.
While all of these aspects are important and necessary to bolstering the resource network, it is the last of these that I consider to be the most important. The ability to make face to face connections, have conversations, and get to learn from each other will serve the Student Support Staff and local resource providers in a better understanding of the needs of our community, bolstering gaps in services, and adjusting to provide more of what is needed; while providing guests with a positive sense of connection, an understanding of what is available, and the knowledge of how to leverage the resources for their futures.
1) Putting tangible resources into the hands of those that don’t have them,
2) Connecting individuals to resources that can support overcoming barriers in the future, and
3) Building community connections between the resource providers, the Student Support staff, and our students and families.
While all of these aspects are important and necessary to bolstering the resource network, it is the last of these that I consider to be the most important. The ability to make face to face connections, have conversations, and get to learn from each other will serve the Student Support Staff and local resource providers in a better understanding of the needs of our community, bolstering gaps in services, and adjusting to provide more of what is needed; while providing guests with a positive sense of connection, an understanding of what is available, and the knowledge of how to leverage the resources for their futures.
What other message would you like to share with our community?
I love working in Student Support in Coupeville. While some of the issues we face (immigration, housing, food security, etc.) may seem insurmountable elsewhere, I don’t feel that that is the case here. The community of Coupeville cares and takes care of its members. We are small yet strong. The resources provided go directly to those in need, immediately making an impact. The Community Resource Fair is a vital piece of this larger puzzle and your support of this event is invaluable in helping us reach those that need us.
How Can You Get Involved?
If you would like to support the efforts that Arianna is most passionate about, please consider supporting the Student Support Services Fair.