By Sue Kiesewetter
Enquirer contributor

LIBERTY TWP. - Lakota Success - which partners United Way with the Lakota School District to bring together social, service, community and government groups to serve kids and their families - celebrated its first year of operation Thursday.

Since December, when Lakota's community liaisons were hired, 85 families with 110 children attending Lakota's schools have been assisted.

"This is really about helping people to be self-sufficient," said Lakota Superintendent Kathleen Klink.

The project - funded by a two-year, $250,000 state grant - is aimed at families primarily residing in the Northpointe, Lakota Pointe, Wyndtree or Meadow Ridge complexes, whose children attend Shawnee, Woodland, Adena, VanGorden and Freedom elementary schools.

United Way agencies partner with the schools to provide health care and immunizations, food, transportation, family counseling, mental health care and other services. Girl Scouts, Boys & Girls Clubs, tutoring and homework help are organized for the students, often in community rooms at the complexes where they live.

At Northpointe, for example, Shared Harvest Food Bank delivers food to families once a month. Money management classes will begin soon. Free immunizations through the Butler County Health Department will be offered at Adena this year.

Services are coordinated through community liaisons Sheryl Ripley and Christy Townsend, who work with educators, apartment complex managers and agencies.

By year's end a similar program will begin in two Fairfield elementary schools. A team is being put together to begin plans for a project to serve Hamilton schools, where nearly half the students come from low-income families.

"We don't have all the financial backing we need yet," said Fairfield Superintendent Robert Farrell.

The pilot schools in Fairfield will be identified next month with services following in late fall.

E-mail suek@infionline.net