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Be an angel: Stuff the bus
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| Stuff the Bus: Representatives of the Willcox Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture and the Willcox Unified School District accept a $250 donation from the Willcox Rotary Club for the Angel Bus Drive. From left, District Business Manager Jim Foley; Phil Clifton; Rotary President Mick Easthouse; Chamber Director Kathy Smith, and District Superintendent Rich Rundhaug. 'This drive enhances the moneys already budgeted for the school,' Easthouse said. 'Members of the Willcox Rotary are happy to support this.' (Carol Broeder/ARN) |
Chamber of Commerce project helps strapped schools get needed supplies
By Carol Broeder/Arizona Range News
There's a big yellow school bus parked in the Safeway parking lot, but it's not picking up kids.
It's there to call attention to the "Stuff the Bus" Drive, which runs from now until the first day of school.
According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), the average family with school-aged children will spend $594.24 on back-to-school purchases.
In 2007, the average family spent $563.49 on school supplies, the NRF's study said.
But many children start the school year without the supplies necessary to succeed academically.
That's where the "Stuff the Bus" drive comes in -- to supply students with the resources necessary to learn and succeed in the classroom.
"Nearly 90 percent of our budget goes to salaries and benefits," said Dr. Rich Rundhaug, Willcox School Superintendent.
"We try to supply as many supplies for the students as we can, but efforts like this enhance those budgets greatly," he told the Range News."
"Nearly every teacher I know supplements the supplies in the classroom with personal funds. This will reduce that from happening."
"I have three daughters who teach," said Executive Director Kathy Smith, with the Willcox Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture, who is spearheading the effort.
"Teachers spend thousands out of their own pockets on school supplies - it's a major expenditure for teachers. Everyone thinks schools are supposed to supply it, but they can't."
Smith said that last year the Chamber asked the Willcox community to support the Angel Bus project.
"Because of your generosity, the teachers had enough supplies for the entire year," she said.
"We are extraordinarily thankful for all the support the community has demonstrated," Rundhaug told the Range News.
"It benefits our teachers and students and makes their experience in school go better."
The superintendent's comments were echoed by Virginia Wackerly, a teacher at the Willcox Elementary School.
"The majority of my class could not afford to purchase their own school supplies," she said after last year's successful drive.
"Also having tissues to use throughout the entire year without having to buy them with our own money was very nice."
"I especially appreciated having water bottles for all the children to use, especially during the hot weather and on field trips."
"Having the school supplies (such as glue sticks and pencils and erasers) right on hand helped the school to function better because that money could be spent on other supplies," Wacklery said.
"We could get the school supplies when we needed them and not wait for them to be ordered or be told we can't purchase them because we have no money left for supplies. It was nice to have enough school supplies so all children could use them."
Wackerly expressed her gratitude for last year's Angel Bus drive, adding her hope that "we get to have it again this year."
Now the Chamber is doing just that.
The bus, with the blue Angel Bus sign posted, was parked at Safeway the last week of July and will be there through Wednesday, Aug. 13 - the first day of school.
Needed supplies include loose leaf paper, No. 2 pencils, folders/two-pocket; yellow highlighters; school glue/glue sticks; ink pens; crayons; washable markers; one subject-spiral notebooks; dry-erase markers; pencil boxes; and any usable school supply.
Supplies can be dropped off from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Monday through Friday, at the Willcox Unified School District Office, 480 N. Bisbee Ave.
Or from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Elementary, Middle or High School offices.
For more information, call the district office at (520) 384-4211.
"It is our responsibility to make sure all kids have the same opportunities to learn," Smith said.
"Thank you for your generous support last year, and we hope you will support this project again this year."
(Editor's note: Reporter Julie Ann Marra, with the Sierra Vista Herald, contributed to this article.)
By Carol Broeder/Arizona Range News
There's a big yellow school bus parked in the Safeway parking lot, but it's not picking up kids.
It's there to call attention to the "Stuff the Bus" Drive, which runs from now until the first day of school.
According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), the average family with school-aged children will spend $594.24 on back-to-school purchases.
In 2007, the average family spent $563.49 on school supplies, the NRF's study said.
But many children start the school year without the supplies necessary to succeed academically.
That's where the "Stuff the Bus" drive comes in -- to supply students with the resources necessary to learn and succeed in the classroom.
"Nearly 90 percent of our budget goes to salaries and benefits," said Dr. Rich Rundhaug, Willcox School Superintendent.
"We try to supply as many supplies for the students as we can, but efforts like this enhance those budgets greatly," he told the Range News."
"Nearly every teacher I know supplements the supplies in the classroom with personal funds. This will reduce that from happening."
"I have three daughters who teach," said Executive Director Kathy Smith, with the Willcox Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture, who is spearheading the effort.
"Teachers spend thousands out of their own pockets on school supplies - it's a major expenditure for teachers. Everyone thinks schools are supposed to supply it, but they can't."
Smith said that last year the Chamber asked the Willcox community to support the Angel Bus project.
"Because of your generosity, the teachers had enough supplies for the entire year," she said.
"We are extraordinarily thankful for all the support the community has demonstrated," Rundhaug told the Range News.
"It benefits our teachers and students and makes their experience in school go better."
The superintendent's comments were echoed by Virginia Wackerly, a teacher at the Willcox Elementary School.
"The majority of my class could not afford to purchase their own school supplies," she said after last year's successful drive.
"Also having tissues to use throughout the entire year without having to buy them with our own money was very nice."
"I especially appreciated having water bottles for all the children to use, especially during the hot weather and on field trips."
"Having the school supplies (such as glue sticks and pencils and erasers) right on hand helped the school to function better because that money could be spent on other supplies," Wacklery said.
"We could get the school supplies when we needed them and not wait for them to be ordered or be told we can't purchase them because we have no money left for supplies. It was nice to have enough school supplies so all children could use them."
Wackerly expressed her gratitude for last year's Angel Bus drive, adding her hope that "we get to have it again this year."
Now the Chamber is doing just that.
The bus, with the blue Angel Bus sign posted, was parked at Safeway the last week of July and will be there through Wednesday, Aug. 13 - the first day of school.
Needed supplies include loose leaf paper, No. 2 pencils, folders/two-pocket; yellow highlighters; school glue/glue sticks; ink pens; crayons; washable markers; one subject-spiral notebooks; dry-erase markers; pencil boxes; and any usable school supply.
Supplies can be dropped off from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Monday through Friday, at the Willcox Unified School District Office, 480 N. Bisbee Ave.
Or from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Elementary, Middle or High School offices.
For more information, call the district office at (520) 384-4211.
"It is our responsibility to make sure all kids have the same opportunities to learn," Smith said.
"Thank you for your generous support last year, and we hope you will support this project again this year."
(Editor's note: Reporter Julie Ann Marra, with the Sierra Vista Herald, contributed to this article.)
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