United Way of Oxford and other agencies accept monetary donations so students can purchase what they need
By
Mark Schadenberg
Every
student looks forward to the first day of school.
The
day after Labour Day annually marks the return to classrooms for all elementary
and secondary aged students.
The
return to studies requires binders, markers, scissors, pens, paper, pencil cases, and
calculators.
Since
the United Way of Oxford and many other agency groups (Operation Sharing, Salvation Army, etc.) calculate that the first
day of school is very difficult financially for many families, they have
combined forces with Staples in Woodstock and Tillsonburg for a project called
Supplies 4 Students.
If
a student registers for the program they will receive a gift card to shop at
Staples for their back-to-school requirements. The available money depends on whether the student is in elementary or high school.
With
Jennifer Belleth of the United Way of Oxford (Resource Development Coordinator) at the desk
at the Woodstock store, I could see first-hand this past weekend how well this
program will work.
Belleth
was quoted earlier in the summer in a Heart FM story:
"There's an element of that feeling
really good for us that it's fun to go and buy those school supplies, but let's
remember that it's really fun for those children to feel great about purchasing
and choose and having it as their choice when they go back to school."
Instead
of receiving a backpack full of items both useful and maybe not-so-useful, a student
can choose what they want and need from the Staples shelves. Some kids have a basket full of pens already, but may require a scientific calculator.
The
program runs from Aug. 27 to Sept. 10, and even though a United Way of Oxford
employee was at the desk to redeem the money card the day I was there, the
program has become successful thanks to many outside volunteers.
All
the specific details on registering for Supplies 4 Students, can be found in
the story with a link below.
From a Woodstock Sentinel-Review story:
ROAR
Staples
as a corporation has been involved in many similar donation campaigns in the
past including stuffing a bus with school supplies. In the U.S., pop singer
Katy Perry is a spokesperson, and their website notes that more than 700,000
classrooms have benefited from their association with Staples.
For the U.S.-based Staples
fundraiser Katy Perry said, “The response from my fans when I teamed up with
Staples in 2014 for the Prismatic World Tour was eye-opening. I learned
first-hand how desperately teachers need our support.”
As school approaches, it’s
students and teachers running to Staples for the “staples” for studying and a
successful school year. Staples, therefore, also has three promotional days planned
for teachers.
As for United Way of Oxford,
its fall campaign will soon arrive.
I remember last year’s good
news report when Dan Henry (Heart FM) and Megan Porter (Boston Pizza) were
co-chairs, and executive director Kelly Gilson, and her additional board of
directors, noted the final total of pledges from individuals (Often through
work-place pledges) and corporations numbered higher than $1.15 million in
Oxford ($1.17 million was announced total one year earlier). The goal was a
lofty $1.2 million for 2015-16, but raising about 90% of its target was
obviously tremendous.
LINKS:
Contact: Brian Belleth at info@yfcwoodstock.com or call 519 537-8080
Always promoting Oxford County!
It's a great place to live, call me today !
Mark Schadenberg, Sales
Representative
Senior Real Estate Specialist
(SRES designation)
Royal LePage Triland Realty
Independently Owned & Operated, Brokerage
757 Dundas St, Woodstock
(519) 537-1553, cell or text
Email: mschadenberg@rogers.com
Twitter: markroyallepage
Facebook: Mark Schadenberg, Royal LePage Triland
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