Schools
Cost Of A Stocked Back-To-School Backpack, $75, Supplies For 1 Year, $225
Hillsborough Education Foundation officials report on the cost of school supplies in their efforts to support Teaching Tools for Hillsborough Schools.
Students at risk of meeting financial challenges at home are the purpose for a countywide store that helps their teachers supply them with the school supplies they need to succeed throughout the school year. A fundraiser for that store, the Teaching Tools Store, is set for Sept. 12 in Tampa.
Run by the Hillsborough Education Foundation, the store in 2012-13 reportedly gave "nearly $2 million in free supplies to teachers in 120 Title I schools," serving some "60,000 students with much-needed supplies," giving them "confidence and peace-of-mind, knowing they have what they need to participate and learn in their classrooms."
Toward that end, the fundraiser is set for Sept. 12 at the Hilton Tampa Downtown, at 211 North Tampa Street. Registration is set for 7 a.m. followed by an hourlong breakfast and program kicking off at 7:30 a.m.
Supporters not able to attend the breakfast fundraiser are asked to donate online. Also, breakfast sponsors are sought.
Foundation officials note that with community support:
- $75 buys a stocked back-to-school backpack.
- $225 supports one student for one year.
- $1,125 supports five students for one year.
- $4,500 supports an entire classroom (20 students) for one year
Overall, 56 percent of Hillsborough County public schools are designated Title I school, which means that more than 75 percent of the students at these schools qualify for a free or reduced-price meal. Foundation officials note that 120 schools and more than 60,000 students currently benefit for the Teaching Tools program.
For more information on the program, and on the foundation and its fundraiser breakfast, visit the Hillsborough Education Foundation online.
For information about the Teaching Tools for Hillsborough Schools program and the fundraising breakfast, or to RSVP for the event by the posted Sept. 5 deadline, call Laura Grucza at 813-574-0279. Or, send an email to Lgrucza@EducationFoundation.com.
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