MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. — A room at Lakeview Academy formerly used for storage now serves a new purpose.

The school and its partners came together Monday afternoon to celebrate the opening of a new parent laundry center inside the building. There, LVA families that do not have their own home washer and dryer will be allowed to do their laundry free of charge, saving them money they may have otherwise had to spend at a laundromat. 

“If I had to choose between putting food on the table and going to wash my clothes, I’m going to put food on the table,” said Baldwin County School Superintendent Dr. Noris Price. “When you think about kids not coming to school because they don’t have clean clothes — that’s a hard pill to swallow.”

This new effort was made possible thanks to several Baldwin County School District community partners, including Northridge Christian Church, Pamlico Pools, Citizens Bank, World Hi-Fi, and Baldwin County Family Connections. The local businesses and church donated funds toward the purchase of two washers and dryers while Baldwin County Family Connections is donating the laundry detergent and dryer sheets, leaving families absolutely no expense.

“As a church, we believe in being for our community,” said Amy Raburn, connections pastor at Northridge. “We want to support our families because we know that when our families win then our community wins. … We’re very excited that parents will have a place to come that’s safe and comfortable.”

The school district has just the thing for parents to do while they wait on their laundry to finish. Family engagement specialist Karen Stanley has the room stocked with parent resources meant to show them ways they can work with their students at home to help them be successful in the classroom. Since the parent laundry center is open only during normal school operating hours parents will also be welcomed to volunteer in the school. 

“Dr. Price has said before that what she tries to do is break down barriers that prevent children from being able to learn,” said Angie Martin, Milledgeville-Baldwin County Chamber of Commerce CEO. “This is one of those wonderful examples. She does it, her staff does it, and now it’s being passed along throughout the community. I think that’s a great thing to be celebrating today.”

The school superintendent shared that the idea for a parent laundry center has been in the works for about a year now after her own washer and dryer were broken. She went to a laundromat to do her laundry and after learning what prices are now (up to $4 a load she says) she realized not having clean clothes could serve as a barrier to a child getting an education.

“It’s been a community effort to make this a reality, so I’m very thankful and grateful,” Price said. “I can tell you on behalf of our students and families that we thank each and every one of you because it will make a difference in making sure that students come to school.”

“We’re overwhelmed with the generosity that we’ve been shown in this community, so thank you all for being part of that,” added Dr. Shawne Holder, LVA principal.

Lakeview Academy’s parent laundry center will serve as a pilot to determine how or if the effort can be expanded further, including possibly going into after regular school hours to accommodate more families.