HARLINGEN — Brushes, irons and clocks.
The Transition Academy needs these and so many other items before it opens in May to receive life skills students in the Harlingen school district.
That’s why the Harlingen Area Educational Foundation launched a fundraiser Monday in the form of a registry with Target.
“It’s a brand new home being built,” said Belinda C. Zapata, president of HAEF.
“It’s got bedrooms, two baths, a living area, kitchen area, the garage, everything,” Zapata said. “So my thought process was, like any home, we should have a housewarming party. So we created a registry at Target.”
The registry at www.hcisd.org/TA reveals more than 100 preselected items — such as a garbage dispenser, desk and clothes hangers — which donors can purchase for use in the academy.
Work on the structure at 2000 N. 21st St. began last summer with an official groundbreaking ceremony in October.
The district plans to finish the Transition Academy, complete with bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchen, dining area and other accommodations, by May.
However, a house is hardly a house without anything in it.
The home needs items such as sheets, comforters, dish racks, desks, an ironing board, grater and even a can opener.
There’s a basic life skill required to use each of these, which life skills students will learn during class time at the structure.
“We have been working with parents and educators for months to pick out all of the items that were going to be needed for the home,” Zapata said.
She compared the registry to similar arrangements made by newlyweds. New couples will often set up a registry with pre-selected items others can purchase for them.
“That’s what we did for the home,” she said. “People can go in the registry and, depending on how much they want to spend, can spend from $5 to $200. They purchase it and Target delivers it to the Transition home.”
