News Releases
Distribution Week underway and going strong! Contact: Karl Gentles, 602-920-1808
Phoenix, AZ – (July 13, 2010) – Summer may have just begun, but school is on the mind of everyone in the gymnasium at University Public Schools Phoenix (formerly Phoenix Preparatory Academy) as 2,500 volunteers 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.
More than $400,000 worth of school clothes and supplies are being disseminated to kindergarten through sixth graders at the week-long event. The first bus arrived at 7:45 a.m. on Monday, July 12, and the last bus won’t leave until 4 p.m. Friday, July 16. The 5,000 kids, who are pre-registered to attend, will leave with a full complement of new school clothing, uniforms, and school supplies. Another 4,000 children in Bullhead City will get backpacks filled with school supplies and dental hygiene items through the BHHS Legacy Foundation’s “Backpack Buddies” program, while 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 have to 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 peace of mind about their child’s readiness for school.”
Major sponsors of the event include BHHS Legacy Foundation, Western Destinations, The USAA Foundation, City of Phoenix CDBG, Walmart, Dental Dental Foundation of Arizona, and US Airways.
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 will also have the opportunity to “shop” for a book thanks to the teachers that comprise the Lambda Chapter of the Alpha Delta Kappa sorority. According to Chapter President Maryellen Baxter: “Last year, as we were volunteering, someone said, ‘Wouldn’t it be great to put a book in the hand of each child that goes through?’” The idea was mentioned to ADK State President Shirley Bruns, who was “thrilled” with the idea and offered support to any chapter that would take on the project. Through various book drives ADK was able to donate more than 5,000 books.
The 2,500 volunteers include 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 spent 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 skorts; 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 us online at www.backtoschoolclothingdrive.com for more information. Follow us on Twitter @backtoschoolcd to get real-time event updates.
