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More
than 2,500 volunteers outfit 9,500 students with new
school
uniforms and supplies in preparation for the new school year
Book
department added to the popular Back to School Clothing
Drive Annual Clothing Distribution event, July 12-16
Phoenix, AZ -
Summer may have just begun, but 2,500 volunteers invaded
the gymnasium at University Public Schools Phoenix (former
Phoenix Preparatory Academy) to help more than 9,500 children
get ready for the new school year at the annual Back to School
Clothing Drive “New
Clothes, New Beginnings Distribution Annual Distribution” event.
More than
$400,000 of school clothes and supplies are being distributed
to pre-registered K-6 graders during the week of July 12–16.
The first bus arrives at 7:45 am each day with the last child
departing by 4 pm. The 5,000 kids pre-registered to attend
receive a full complement of new school clothing, uniforms,
and school supplies. Another 4,000 children in Bullhead City
will receive backpacks filled with school supplies and dental
hygiene items through the BHHS Legacy Foundation’s “Backpack
Buddies” program. The remaining 500 students will
receive the same backpacks through their affiliations with six
other local nonprofit and community-based organizations.
“The children
we serve are from families that choose between buying
groceries, paying rent, or buying school clothes and
supplies,” said Karl Gentles, the executive director of the
Back to School Clothing Drive. “They certainly can’t do
all three so our effort hopefully gives them piece of mind
about their child’s readiness for their first day of school
and beyond.” Major sponsors of the event include BHHS Legacy
Foundation, Western Destinations, The USAA Foundation, City of
Phoenix CDBG, Walmart, Dental Dental Foundation of Arizona, US
Airways, amongst others.
Stacey Bonn,
president of the Back to School Clothing Drive board of
directors, says it isn’t just about the clothes but
something far more valuable: “We are truly in the business
of building self esteem. Imagine your child showing up on the
first day of school with clothes that don’t fit or don’t
blend in with what their friends are wearing. It doesn’t
feel good, and it affects the learning process. We make sure
these kids feel good about themselves so they can focus on
learning.”
The distribution
event is one of the most unique volunteer opportunities among
those offered by Valley non-profits. It teams each child with
a “personal shopper” in a gymnasium that has been turned
into a “department store.” Students start out in the
shorts/skorts area getting measured for bottoms that meet
school uniform requirements. The next stop is socks and
underwear, where plaid-patterned boxers and ankle socks fly
off the shelves! Then they get a leather belt and then head
over to the shirt and sweatshirt department. In the
“Stitches-of-Love” area, each child selects an item that
was handmade by one of the organization’s 200 volunteer
seamstresses. The final stops are for shoes and backpacks –
not only are the students happy to get new ones, they are
thrilled they get to pick out the exact ones they want!
This year, the
students also have the opportunity to “shop” for a
children’s book thanks to the Lambda Chapter of the Alpha
Delta Kappa sorority. Through various book drives they were
able to donate more than 5,000 books to Back to School
Clothing Drive for this event. At the end of a long and
satisfying day, the kids are loaded up with goodies and head
home – full of confidence and excited to start the new
school year.
The volunteer
corps of 2,500 volunteers includes representatives from Intel,
Wells Fargo, National Charities League, Boys Team Charities,
Bank of America, Freeport McMoRan Copper and Gold, and many
other local organizations. In addition to serving as shoppers,
volunteers also apent the week prior to the event organizing
truckloads of merchandise, taking inventory, setting up for
and participating in “backpack stuffing” day (which
requires the most volunteers), and transforming the gymnasium
into a “store.”
By the end of the
week, Back to School Clothing Drive and its partners will have
provided students with more than 10,000 polo shirts, shorts
and skirts; 5,000 hand-made clothing items including dresses,
hair scrunchies, skinny scarves, purses, and flip flops;
12,000 pairs of socks and underwear; 5,000 new sneakers,
sweatshirts and belts; and over 10,000 backpacks filled with
hundreds of school supplies and dental hygiene items.
Founded in 1967, Back to School
Clothing Drive is Arizona’s largest provider of new school
outfits, uniforms, backpacks and school supplies to children
in need. Back to School operates on an annual budget of
approximately $1 million with two employees, a 15-member
volunteer board of directors, and more than 2,500. Visit them
online at
www.backtoschoolclothingdrive.com
for more information. Follow them on Twitter @backtoschoolcd
to get real-time event updates.
Glendalians
Give and Receive at the 2010 New Clothes New Beginnings Annual
Distribution Event
July
14, 2010 Back To School Time Again July 14, 2010 by
Bette Sharpe Glendale Daily Planet -
- Video by Ed Sharpe
This year's
annual Back to School Clothing Drive “New
Clothes, New Beginnings Distribution Annual Distribution” event.
brought together 2,500 volunteers to help more than
9,500 children get ready for the new school year. This
monumental outreach to young students was held at the
University Public Schools (formally Phoenix Prep Academy).
Glendale School
District Children line up for the return trip to
Glendale - Photo by Bette Sharpe Glendale Daily Planet
Glenn F. Burton
students (K-6th grade) hold up their shopping bags!
Good job! Each
bag is filled with clothes things will needed for school.
Teacher Ms. Rihner keeps a close eye on everyone while
they wait to get back on the school bus.
School starts on August 2, or about two weeks from
today! - Photo by Bette Sharpe Glendale Daily Planet
It's "all
about the kids today" stated Sheryl Hudson.
She was one of the 150-180 volunteers on hand today to
help the kids select clothes, shoes, and unmentionables.
Kids were also given a toothbrush and a backpack ready
to go with school supplies.
The event covered the entire gymnasium floor.
One thousand students were expected Wednesday.
The Back to School Clothing Drive hopes to help more
than 9,000 kids be prepared for the first day of school.
It takes a full year to prepare this well organized,
well-planned event.
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Maddie Croft, a
sophomore at Chaparral High School, aids with toothbrush
selection. Students
get to pick their favorite color. - Photo by Bette Sharpe Glendale Daily Planet |
Jorge Pedilla,
Wells Fargo volunteer, is a "shopper" today.
Part of his job is to be sure the clothes selected fit
the student. In
addition to making sure his student visits each department.
This is a family event for the Pedilla family.
Jorge's wife and daughter "do this every
year." - Photo by Bette Sharpe Glendale Daily Planet
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Susan Kirsch,
Stitches of Love Coordinator, has almost a fill time job
getting ready for this annual event. She hosts an open house once a month for the various charity
members and volunteers. By
doing so, she is able to coordinate the efforts of those who
knit, crochet, bead, and sew the items for the clothing drive.
Much of the new clothing is made by hand.
Volunteers from Sun Valley Recreation of Sun City,
Arizona are one of the many valued participants in the
Stitches of Love clothing drive. - Photo by Bette Sharpe Glendale Daily Planet
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Lucy Lawrence, of
Glendale, helps Selene Martinez of Desert Garden Elementary
School, Glendale; select some accessories for her new outfit! - Photo by Bette Sharpe Glendale Daily Planet
Julie Zimmerman, of
Peoria, first heard about the clothing drive from television.
That was nine years ago.
This is just "in your heart" she said as she
carried an armful of new and hand sewn clothing she brought
for the back-to-school event.
She also said that she could be cleaning house or doing
this. - Photo by Bette Sharpe Glendale Daily Planet
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More information on
the back to school clothing drive and Stitches of Love can be
found by following this link link.
http://www.backtoschoolclothingdrive.com
Click here
to watch the video interview! BHHS Legacy Foundation CEO
Jerry Wissink interviews Back to School Glendale resident,
board member and volunteer Mickey Lund on KKAT-IPTV /
Glendale Daily Planet
- Photo by Ed Sharpe Glendale Daily Planet
(video link - http://www.smecc.org/media/backpack-school-jerry-mickey512.wmv
)
BHHS Legacy
Foundation CEO Jerry Wissink http://www.smecc.org/media/back-to-school-jerry-ed-512.wmv
Ed Sharpe Glendale Daily Planet / KKAT-IPTV interviews BHHS
Legacy Foundation CEO Jerry Wissink at the "Back To
School Clothing Drive." Learn how Legacy Foundation
will match any contribution to this project 100 percent!
Video
http://www.smecc.org/media/back_to_school_tom_dickson.wmv
Back To School Clothing Drive - Ed
Sharpe Interviews Tom Dickson, CEO Banner Thunderbird
Hospital.
Banner Thunderbird Medical Center, a nonprofit hospital, is a
513-bed acute-care hospital offering an array of services,
including heart care, surgery services, cancer care,
orthopedics, pediatrics, critical care nursery, neurosurgery
and a comprehensive women and infants services program.
Listen to the interview to hear How Banner is involved with
schools and equipping students for the future!
VIDEO
HERE Karl
Gentels for Back to School Clothing Drive and Ed Sharpe
Glendale Daily Planet / KKAT-IPTV
 
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