Davenport Community School District Partners With Purposity App To Connect Community With Student Needs

Press release from the Davenport Community Schools:

August 3, 2020

The Davenport Community School District is excited to announce a partnership with Purposity, an app connecting users with one-to-one needs in their community. The partnership aims to fulfill the essential needs of students within the Davenport Schools.

If you knew a kid down the street had a simple need – say she needed sneakers for school – chances are you’d help, right? But, it’s hard to know the needs of real people in your community because there’s never been a way to connect people who could really use help with people who want to offer it. Enter a new app: Purposity. Its name comes from purpose + generosity, and it’s designed to connect the individual needs of people near you with neighbors, like you.

The vision for Purposity is to inspire us to live generously by connecting people to doing good in the same way Facebook connects us to friends and Google connects us to information.

“We live in an age when we can make a doctor’s appointment right from our phones,” said founder Blake Canterbury, “but we have no way of knowing if the family down the street has food on their table or if their children have shoes on their feet.” Purposity looks to bridge that gap locally.

“Purposity allows our community to work together collectively to ensure our students have some of their most basic needs met, with just one click of a button,” stated DCSD’s Youth Mental Health Grant Manager, Sarah Brennan. “I believe so many of us struggle to find ways to assist and give back to our community, especially during the pandemic. This is an opportunity for our community to show their commitment to the success of our students and their future.”

Dubbed “Your Tool for Good,” the Purposity app sends a weekly notification to users with a need in their area. With just a few clicks, people can satisfy needs ranging from shoes and jackets for a local student to small household items for a family that lost their home in a fire. The app also features user profiles that track donors’ giving, allowing them to see their impact.

“We wanted to create a way for communities to connect and unite in a meaningful way,” stated Blake Canterbury, Founder and CEO. “Our belief is that if you knew your neighbor needed help, you’d help.”

Here is how it works:

1. A student or family has a need
   1. Needs typically cost around $35, but can range up to $250 and can be anything, such as shoes, clothes, backpack, supplies, etc.
2. A Davenport Schools staff member sends that need to a designated Purposity organizer, which would be a DCSD school social worker
3. The social worker submits the need to the Purposity organization
   1. Needs are always submitted anonymously, and no student / family names are ever given
4. Purposity puts the need on their app and sends out notifications to those in the Davenport community who have the app
5. Anyone who sees the need and wants to help, can click on the link and buy the item
6. The item is shipped to the District social worker who delivers it to the school / student

Those who sign up receive an alert with a link to a story of an individual in need and can then choose to meet that need right on their phone. The requested item is in the hands of the organization in just a few days. It takes one notification, under a minute, and a few clicks to make a difference for a fellow community member.

The Davenport Community School District needs to build a following of 600 users on its Purposity profile before being able to fully help the students and families in need. Once the profile reaches 600 followers, student and family needs will begin to be shared and fulfilled within the Davenport community.

To join the movement to support DCSD students, download the Purposity app from the App Storeor Google Play and be sure to follow the Davenport Community School District. To learn more, visit www.purposity.com or view Purposity’s brief, introductory YouTube video.

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This press release was produced by the Davenport Community Schools. The views expressed here are the author’s own.