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Campus Community Pitching in to
Provide School Supplies for Disadvantaged Kids
Ioana Patringenaru | August 20, 2007
Hundreds of children heading back to dozens of schools this fall in San Diego County will find their classrooms better stocked with books and supplies thanks to the UCSD community.
The UCSD Staff Association is running its first-ever school supplies and book drive from July 2 to Aug. 31 at about 30 spots on campus – and it’s been going well, said Ange Mason, one of the association’s executive board members
“There isn’t one day when I don’t get a call or two saying there is a huge box waiting to be picked up,” she said.
The idea for the drive came from Susan Rappoport, co-chair of UCSD’s Community Advocates for Disability Rights and Education. Last year, Rappoport filled her car with $100 worth of school supplies to provide for a teacher friend’s classroom. She received a thank-you letter from a little boy, who wrote he never had a box of color pencils all to himself before. In disadvantaged schools, some parents can’t even afford to buy basic supplies for their children, she said. As an individual, she could provide for one classroom, but UCSD could so much more, she said.
“You can make such a big difference in a kid’s life,” she said. “They feel valued, they feel special. It makes them feel like school is important.”
Mason surveyed the needs of teachers in the education program she coordinates at the San Diego Supercomputer Center. Teacher TECH trains educators from disadvantaged schools to enrich their math, technology and science curriculums. The Staff Association also contacted the local charter school association to find out about campuses’ needs, Mason said. The result is a list of 40 schools, from elementary to high school, that will receive the goodies.
Supplies, including spiral notebooks, binders, pencils, crayons, kids’ books, backpacks, stickers and flash cards, can be dropped off at about 30 different locations on campus. Rappoport said she encourages everyone to purchase supplies for disabled students, such as large print books and special software. When the drive is over, the association will divvy up the donations and invite teachers to come pick them up. Meanwhile, keep the books and supplies coming, Mason said.
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