A Gift for Teaching looking for school supplies

Back to school. For many parents and children, those words mean a brand new “first day” outfit, a new backpack and lunch bag, and, of course, those brand new school supplies. But for more than 67 percent of the children in Orange County, those words can be devastating. This staggering number of our county’s students come from families that can’t afford lunch, let alone school supplies.

What does it mean for our 243 Orange County public schools if these 133,000 students arrive at school without the tools they need to learn? How can these children even have a chance of success? Our teachers save the day. In many cases, devoted educators spend between $500 and $1,000 of their own money to buy school supplies for their students and classrooms.

A Gift For Teaching was founded in 1998 to alleviate some of the burden from our dedicated teachers. For the past 18 years, AGFT has come to be known as Central Florida’s primary provider of free school supplies to teachers for their students in need, distributing nearly $100 million worth of supplies in that time.

Serving the tenth largest school district in the nation can be daunting. As the number of students in need continues to grow, so does A Gift For Teaching’s need to partner with philanthropic individuals, corporations, and civic groups. How can we work together to provide the tools for success for our future leaders? We collaborate by hosting the largest school supply drive in the community. Our Back-to-School Drive campaign runs Aug. 1 through Sept. 16 and sets the stage to stock A Gift For Teaching’s shelves for the entire year. Children don’t just need the tools to learn at the beginning of the school year; they need these essential supplies in January, in March, and even in May so their young minds can flourish throughout the entire year.

So while you are clipping the coupons, finding the best sales, and shopping on tax-free weekend for your children, think of their peers. Your kids may not even know that the child they sit next to in class doesn’t own a freshly-sharpened number two pencil. We can all work together and pick up an extra package of crayons, markers, colored pencils, or even a glue stick or two, and a package of loose leaf paper. If you’re in the Winter Park vicinity, drop them off at the Winter Park Welcome Center/Chamber of Commerce. Or, stop by any Starbucks location in the area; they’ll have A Gift For Teaching supply collection bins throughout the month of August. If you’re in the Winter Park vicinity, drop them off at the Winter Park Welcome Center/Chamber of Commerce August 1-12. Not a shopper? For every $1 you give during our campaign, generous matching funds from The Bond Foundation will allow A Gift For Teaching to provide up to $20 worth of school supplies to students that need them the most. Visit us at www.agiftforteaching.org to find the best way for you and your family to get involved and help our underserved students.

About A Gift For Teaching

A Gift For Teaching is Central Florida’s primary provider of free school supplies to teachers for their students in need, enabling them to succeed in school and life. A nonprofit organization that serves more than 300 public schools in Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties, AGFT has distributed nearly $100 million worth of school supplies — including essential classroom tools such as pencils, notebooks, glue, backpacks, art supplies and books — to local students in need since 1998. www.agiftforteaching.org