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Students at 10 local schools received supplies in time for the first day of the new academic year on Tuesday, courtesy of the Greensboro Regional Realtors Association.
 
The haul from the 12th annual Get a Kid Ready for School campaign matched the $6,000 raised in previous years for the purchase of school materials. Donations were gathered through the Pencil Box Challenge in July, when pencil boxes were placed in area real estate offices and tended by volunteers who promoted the program.
 
The initiative has an overwhelming impact on students, who get the necessary tools to be successful, according to Andrea Thompson, a social worker with Cone Elementary School, one of the 10 schools to receive supplies through this year’s campaign.

“Every child needs to know that someone’s out there and is considering helping them,” Thompson says.

The school distributed the supplies to parents and students before classes started. “Teachers and parents and students are very appreciative,” she says. “... It’s useful for the students that come to school to know they’re taken care of and don’t need to worry about paper and pens.”

Other elementary schools that received supplies this year were Bessemer, Foust, Gillespie Park, Hampton, Hunter, Peck, Rankin, Washington and Wiley. Each school was given eight cases of notebook paper; three cases of construction paper; 2 1/2 cases of pencils; four cases of crayons; 10 cases of folders; one case each of thin markers, thick markers and glue sticks; and a few backpacks.
 
Patty Hill, a Realtor with Re/Max 1st Choice and chairwoman of the GRRA’s Get A Kid Ready For School campaign, recently answered questions about the association’s effort.

Why did the GRRA’s Realtors Community Service Committee choose this project?

Our goal is to provide basic school supplies for the neediest children in our area to get them started back to school on the right foot.

How do you pick the schools?

With information provided by Guilford County Schools, we choose the 10 elementary schools in Greensboro with the highest percentage of students receiving free and reduced-price lunch.

How do you choose which supplies to buy?

We work in conjunction with Office Depot on Church Street to purchase the basic supplies elementary students need. We look at the best prices available for the items we want and buy the supplies during tax-free weekend, which maximizes the savings and allows us to buy larger quantities.
 
In what capacity are association members involved?

The money for the supplies comes right out of the pockets of Realtor members and affiliate members, such as lenders and commercial agents.

Through our Pencil Box Challenge, offices competed to donate the most money through the month of July. The project came together Aug. 21 when members of the Realtors Community Service Committee sorted, loaded and delivered the supplies so students would have them on the first day of school.

What response have you received from the schools?

They are just thrilled to death with what we take. When I delivered supplies at Wiley Elementary School, there were teachers in the hall ready to collect them. They’re so appreciative.

Spotlight on Outreach is a new Triad Homes feature recognizing real estate professionals’ community involvement. To take part, please contact Heather L. Modlin by phone at 373-7144 or by e-mail at hmodlin@news-record.com.