Being a Pre-K teacher and the mom of a preschool aged daughter, I know the importance of teaching children to enjoy getting involved with service projects. This is the first year my daughter has completely understood the concept and I was happy to learn about Champions for Kids involvement with the Elmer’s Bag It Forward project. My mother-in-law is a special education teacher at a local elementary school. Each year I see her spending her own money getting her room ready with supplies. Sometimes the children in her classroom aren’t able to satisfy the basic school supplies shopping list and she always makes sure they have everything they need, most times out of her own pocket. This year my daughter and I participated in the Bag It Forward project and donated a backpack full of supplies to a student in my mother-in-law’s classroom. I know this small donation will make a big difference.
I printed the supply suggestion list for the school where my mother-in-law teaches and brought it along while shopping for my daughter’s school supplies last week. We purchased almost everything on the suggestion list for our donation.
We didn’t know if our donation would go to a boy or girl so we selected a gender neutral backpack. All of the supplies fit perfectly in the bag.
I printed a note and attached a package of puffy paint to the bag with ribbon. The student can personalize the plain backpack with the puffy paint.
We brought our donation to Coronado Elementary the week before school started.
My mother-in-law was working in her classroom prepping for students to arrive. She was happy to see us and very grateful for the donation. My daughter is so proud that her grandma is a teacher.
My daughter was also very excited to use her new backpack and bring her very own supplies to school with her.
The best part of our entire experience was a few days later when a parent in my preschool classroom asked me about the donation we made. My daughter had told all of her little friends we were making a difference by helping a family with their school supply list. The parents of my daughter’s classmates are now coming into my classroom asking how they can make a difference too.
Participating in the Elmer’s Bag It Forward project is easy. By picking up an extra bag of school supplies you can make a huge impact! If you have coworkers, friends, or family that would also like to participate you could arrange a school supply drive to gather supplies. Together we can all make a difference!
To see the fun my daughter and I had while we shopped at Walmart for our donation items, view my Back to School Donation, Bag It Forward with Champions for Kids and Elmer’s #BagItForward #cfk Google+ album. Learn more about the Champions for Kids and how the Elmer’s Bag It Forward project is making a difference in your local community by connecting with Elmer’s on Facebook and Twitter. You can also see pictures of how others Bag It Forward on the CB Socially Bag It Forward Pinterest Board.
Do you plan to Bag It Forward this year?
I love that a child in need is going to get this great backpack! Such a great thing!
I love the idea of puffy paint attached with a note—how special. Good for you!
That is so sweet that she told all her friends about the experience!
What a kind act. I wish we were in a position to help others. Keep up the good work!