For the past two years, the Elon University community has donated thousands of needed school supplies to children classified as homeless.
Elon’s faculty, staff and students will have an opportunity to ensure that children in Alamance County have the supplies they need to succeed during the upcoming school year.
The university’s community partners at the Alamance-Burlington School System anticipate that about 800 students will be classified as homeless this year.
“This is a sizeable and distressing increase in the number of students with critical needs and very limited resources,” said Jana Lynn Patterson, Elon’s associate vice president for Student Life and the dean of Student Health and Wellness.
That’s why the Kernodle Center for Service Learning and Community Engagement, the Student Government Association and Elon Volunteers! are asking for your help in donating supplies for these students. Additionally, this year’s school supplies drive will benefit The Elon Village Project – an outreach program of Elon’s School of Education that pairs Elon students studying to be teachers with young children (and their parents) from local communities to improve their literacy skills.
You can drop off book bags and supplies during this fall’s Opening Reception, President’s Address and Community picnic on Monday, Aug. 19. Student leaders will be present to collect them from 8-10 a.m.
Collection boxes will also be placed around campus until Aug. 26 at the locations listed below:
- Moseley Campus Center Information Desk
- Koury Athletics Center (near Campus Recreation)
- Belk Library (near the Circulation Desk)
- The Kernodle Center (Moseley 233)
- The Ellington Center for Health and Wellness
- Alamance Rotunda (near room 109)
- Lindner Hall (Deans Suite, Room 104)
- Campus Shop (Elon Town Center)
- Campus residential area offices
- Or call ext. 7200 to arrange for pick-up
Law School faculty, staff members and students who wish to participate may drop off items in the Dean’s suite (Room 110-D).
In addition to book bags, the following items are needed:
- Three ring binder notebooks
- No. 2 Pencils
- Colored pencils/Crayons
- Marbleized cover composition books
- Erasers
- Markers (especially washable)
- Graph/notebook paper
- Rulers
- Glue sticks
- Pencil pouch with binder holes
- Highlighters
- Flash drives
- 3 x 5 index cards
- Blue or black ink pens
- Shampoo and body wash
- Toothbrush and toothpaste
- Combs and brushes
- Deodorant
Student and staff volunteers will separate and pack the supplies on the evening of Aug. 27 and deliver them to ABSS the following day, Patterson said.
“The community support shown by students, faculty and staff for this project is another example that makes me proud to be a member of this community,” Patterson said. “On behalf of our student leaders in the Student Government Association and Elon Volunteers!, as well as the Kernodle Center for Service Learning and Community Engagement, please accept my gratitude and appreciation.”