Drs. Kimani Stancil and wife Nicole Love are gripped in a battle to save the Maarifa Elementary and Middle School. The school was founded by Kimani's parents, Kay H. Stancil and her late husband, McCauley Stancil, Jr. In the spirit of Sankofa, Maarifa (meaning "knowledge and wisdom") helped immerse its students in self-affirmative and constructive activities including the sciences and chess. The school has met difficult times and the husband and wife team are extending the following plea:

Dear friends and family,

We are writing to you now to request your help. As many of you know, my (Kimani) family founded an African centered cultural/curricula school some 27 years ago in Baltimore City, Md. Our school, The Maarifa Elementary and Middle School, was the first of its type in Baltimore City, and has helped to inspire others to meet the challenge to provide an alternative, constructive, and positive environment for our children while maintaining high standards of excellence.

Our school is a non-profit institution whose primary funding is based on tuition from our parents. In recent years, several schools like ours have been faced with diminished enrollment and subsequently faced with major challenges. For some time, we have been faced with similar challenges. Our enrollment has been severely reduced, and presently, we are faced with a critical need to raise funds quickly in order to continue to provide for current and future students. Currently, we are recruiting for next year, and trying to satisfy our funding needs. If you are able and wish to help now, please go to the website (Nicole S. Love has helped organize): www.maarifaschoolsupport.org

For our present needs, a financial donation would be most appreciated. Trust that the Paypal option on the site has been confirmed to work. Additionally, there is an option for you to write directly to the school using personal checks written out to "Education Wealth, LLC" with the memo: Maarifa Support Fund. For every financial donation, we will provide a substantiation letter for your records and tax purposes.

As we don't look at this as our only communication and designated need for your help, we are open to receive your ideas, and suggestions for helping us to transition with the aid of grants and other funding agents to a stronger and more challenge-free school that may last forever or at least until our own children are able to benefit from the Maarifa School experience while developing their talents to continue the tradition of educating our people.

Sincerely,

Dr. Kimani A. Stancil, Maarifa School Board Member
Dr. Nicole S. Love (former Maarifa academic workshop instructor)

Posted by The Chess Drum: 22 April 2007