Rotary in the Daniel Island News
They’ve Got Your Back!
Wed, 09/20/2023 - 10:05am admin
Community donates backpacks and other back-to-school supplies
BY:
ANN MORAVICK, DANIEL ISLAND ROTARY CLUB
It’s a sign of cool, an emblem of the right to learn, and a pouch for back-to-school essentials. The backpack, and all that it contains, can also put a dent in the budget for many area families.
And that’s where the local organizations step up to help.
According to the National Retail Federation, a family spends around $890 on average for back-to-school items. And, well over 90 percent of teachers spend their own money on school supplies and other items their students need to succeed, according to the National Education Association.
To address this challenge, a number of community organizations, like local Rotary clubs, supported multiple back-to-school events this year, including donating funds to nonprofits, purchasing backpacks and supplies, and volunteering at events to hand out backpacks.
Here is a recap of the collaborative efforts of five organizations who “had the backs” of local school kids this season:
Shifa Clinic Back-to-School Food and Health Fair: Nine hundred families benefited from this multipurpose event that included health screenings, food donations, and backpack distribution to 300 children. Volunteers from the Rotary Club of Charleston attended in force to make the event a success, supported by Rotary Club of Daniel Island. A $7,500 donation to the Shifa Clinic from the Rotary Charleston Duck Race and DICA was earmarked for this back-to-school event.
Helping and Lending Outreach Support (HALOS) Back-to-School Drive: The Daniel Island Rotary among others contributed backpacks and $50 gift cards which were selected to respond to children’s requests. In total, over 700 backpacks were distributed at this back-to-school event on Aug. 10-11. Mary Schroeder of the Rotary Club of Daniel Island was one of many community volunteers that witnessed the smiling faces of students holding their bright new personalized backpacks.
Trident Young Leaders United School Supply Drive: One hundred twenty volunteers packed up 1,400 backpacks for distribution through community partners in the tri-county area. The two-day packing event took place at the UPS Customer Center on Clements Ferry Road. Among the many volunteers were Rotarians Evan Murray, Mary Schroeder and Maureen Cannon.
“It’s important to encourage children to be all they can be,” said Cannon. “Part of this is giving them the tools and resources necessary to succeed. Through our participation in back-to-school events the Rotary Club of Daniel Island is showing we care about the success of the students that live in our community.”
Back-to-School event at Cainhoy Elementary School: Working in close collaboration with Principal LaWanda Glears of Cainhoy Elementary, Rotary Club of Daniel Island distributed 160 backpacks – one for every student. Backpacks were donated by Trident United Way, Shifa Free Clinic and Rotary Club of Daniel Island and Rotary. Nucor Berkeley also made donations for supplemental materials for teachers. Rotary participants included Maureen Cannon (organizer), Bill Stevens, Mary Wessner, Mary Schroeder, and Mary Jo Romeo.
Beyond Backpacks: Members of the Rotary Club of Daniel Island directed traffic and greeted parents and school kids as they arrived for the first week of school at Daniel Island Elementary the last week in August. The effort, organized by Rotarian Tom Cullen, is in its second year. Volunteers included Mary Schroeder, Jim Miller, Nick Armandi, Tom Cullen, Ben Laaper, Tom Carroll and Bill Greene.
All of these volunteer and sponsorship efforts were made possible by the generous contributions of the Daniel Island community in support of the annual Charleston Duck Race.