Rotary Club members from across the Valley will stuff 1,000 backpacks with school supplies for the Back to School Clothing Drive (BTSCD) from 1-5 p.m., Sunday, April 25 at the American Furniture Warehouse, 5801 N. 99th Ave., Glendale.
The backpack-stuffing project caps off Arizona Rotary District 5495’s first annual Rotary Week of Service April 17-24, 2021, which involved dozens of community-service projects hosted by Rotary Clubs throughout Arizona.District 5495, one of two Rotary International districts serving Arizona, includes 65 clubs and over 2,100 members.
Back-to-School Clothing Drive is providing the backpacks, while Rotary Clubs are providing school supplies to be placed into the backpacks.
Rotary Club District 5495 Governor Elizabeth Mahoney said anyone wishing to volunteer for the project should contact Bret Mckeand, District 5495 Governor-Elect, at scibret@aol.com or sign up at azrotary.org. Social distancing protocols will be observed and facemasks are required.
Back to School Clothing Drive is Arizona’s largest provider of uniforms, backpacks and supplies to thousands of students at Title 1 schools in Maricopa County. BTSCD also delivers supplies to 600 children in foster care in partnership with Arizona Helping Hands, to 500 children who may be homeless or in transition through Children’s First Academy and Sequoia Elementary School in Mesa and 450 Luke Air Force families.
“The support of commitment by Rotary members across the Valley to ensure that children have the supplies they need to focus on their schoolwork is incredibly generous,’ said Back to School Clothing Drive Executive Director Karl Gentles. “This level of community support reflects the deep giving nature of our community and will enable us to help more than 5,000 students we reach each year through our summer distribution program.”
“The pandemic has wreaked havoc on our communities, and many of our friends and neighbors need help,” Rotary District 5495 Governor Mahoney said.
“Rotarians do great things all year long, but we felt the time was right to combine our efforts and bring our communities together to focus on one solid week of service. Rotary is committed to making our world a better place – and there is no better place to start than in our own community.”
There are 115 Rotary clubs – and over 3,000 Rotarians -- in Arizona serving towns and cities of all sizes. Arizona is also served by two Rotary District 5500. The state’s first Rotary club was started over a century ago and several clubs in Arizona are preparing to celebrate their 100th anniversary.
Many clubs conducted a community service project during Rotary Week of Service, and have additional projects planned in the coming weeks. A complete list of community service projects can be found at azrotary.org. Visitors to the site can find information on projects in their community and sign up to volunteer or participate in the project.
American Furniture Warehouse is the official community corporate partner for Rotary Week of Service. American Furniture Warehouse has long been a partner with Arizona Rotary District 5495, collecting and storing donations of mobility devices for the district’s Crutches 4 Africa program.
Rotary members throughout the world take action to make communities better. They contribute their time, energy, and passion to carry out meaningful and sustainable projects that promote peace, fight disease, provide clean water, help mothers and children, support education, and grow local economies.
Rotary’s top priority is the global eradication of polio. Rotary launched its polio immunization program, PolioPlus, in 1985 and in 1988 became a leading partner in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.
For more information about Back to School Clothing Drive, visit www.backtoschoolclothingdrive.com, email Executive Director Karl Gentles at karl@btscd.comor call (602) 256-9408. For more information about Rotary District 5495, visit www.rotary5495.org.
