Back to School
Lincoln High School’s gym buzzed with excitement recently as 188 volunteers rolled up their sleeves to make a difference. Together, they filled 6,875 colorful backpacks – each thoughtfully packed with notebooks, folders, pencils and more to help local students start the school year off strong.
Stepping away from the bustling assembly lines, volunteer Marisa Doen reflected on the impact the free backpacks and supplies will have on families – especially when faced with rising costs.
“I have one child, and it’s not always easy to buy lots of supplies— in the past, I’ve needed help,” said Marisa, trust client assistant (TCA) at Comerica. “I was just going through Walmart for notebooks that would be $0.50, and now they’re $2.00. Even the basic supplies are up, so it’s a lot, especially when families have multiple kids.”
“These backpacks are a great way to give students a jumpstart on the school year.”
FILLING THE SUPPLY GAP
In our region, 42% of families are ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained and Employed), meaning that they cannot afford their basic needs. When juggling food, housing, utilities, and other costs, many families make tough choices on school supplies.
As prices rise, it’s even harder for ALICE families to give students what they need. Since last year, back-to-school supply costs are up nearly 8%, pencil prices are up 68% and notebook prices have doubled.
“When you can’t focus because of school supplies, children miss out on the first day of school,” said Jocelyn Howard, board member at United Way for Southeastern Michigan. “Essentially, parents try to decide what’s more important, and those decisions are often loaded on the backs of kids, so this distribution is critical for them to start the school year right off the bat.”
To ensure local students have what they need, United Way mobilized over 480 hours of volunteering and 13 partners to help over 9,400 students in schools across our region. In addition to individual backpacks, Oakside Prep Academy in Waterford received supplies in the form of 52 bulk classroom kits.
“We are benefitting the economy for years to come; the children who have school supplies now can be better students and better citizens,” said Jocelyn. “You will be able to see the change in a child right away, even though they may never see us, they can always remember the impact.”
UNITED FOR STUDENT SUCCESS
This year’s backpacks wouldn’t be possible without the dedication of our sponsors: American Axle Manufacturing, Bosch, Clark Hill, Comerica, Deloitte, Fifth Third Bank, Invenergy, Jennifer & Chris Granger, Jerry Davis & Christina Brown, Karen & Charlie Chappell, Penske Truck Leasing, Peter Remington, RiverOn, Sheetz, and The Kaas Family.
“This program has been an awesome connection for us, and it really shows in our community,” said Deana Harris, volunteer and counselor at Lincoln High School. “Our students really appreciate having the supplies on the first day, and since they were anticipating it this year, some of our leadership students came out to volunteer and really enjoyed it.”
Joining her friends to stuff backpacks, Rajae N. felt comfortable moving quickly down the supply tables.
“I like working in this fast-paced environment,” said Rajae, rising senior at Lincoln High School. “My mom is my role model because she is always doing things to help her family, and right now, I feel like school supplies are really expensive.”
Inspired to get involved? Check out our volunteer portal for more opportunities to support local students.
