“Tools for Teachers” Collects Thousands of Supplies for Educators

The “Tools for Teachers” Donation Drive to support educators in Shenandoah County Public Schools proved to be an overwhelming success. The effort was a collaboration between United Way of Northern Shenandoah Valley, Just Because,
George’s Inc., and the Shenandoah County Chamber of Commerce.

The groups delivered mounds of supplies to each of the schools and announced the results of the drive: In total, the community donated over 3,000 items, valued at more than $7,000! In addition, they received $1,300 in cash
donations.
On September 8th, the groups were recognized by the Shenandoah County School Board for hosting
the drive and presented $130 checks to each of the 10 school principals.

The funding will allow the schools to purchase specific supplies requested by teachers. The top items collected include: 772
packs of colored pencils, 431 packs of markers, 336 packs of glue sticks, 234 spiral notebooks and
193 packs of pens.
“It was truly inspiring to see the community give so generously, “said Jennifer Hall, Senior Director of
Community Investment at United Way of Northern Shenandoah Valley.

“Our annual campaign themethis year is ‘Small Act Big Impact’ and this project is proof that it works! Every person who donated $1 or a pack of pens, collectively worked together to make a big impact and we are so grateful.”
According to a survey the national nonprofit AdoptAClassroom.org, teachers spend an average of
$750 of their own money each year to help students be successful in the classroom.

With inflation costs, that number is expected to be even higher this year.
This was the first drive of its kind designed exclusively to aid teachers in Shenandoah County Public
Schools and was the idea of staff at George’s Inc. who wanted to work with community partners to
achieve a greater impact.
“We want our teachers to know they are valued and appreciated by our community,” said Billie Jo
Espino, Human Resources Supervisor at George’s Inc. “George’s is a family-owned business and we
are deeply committed to supporting families and education. This is one of the many ways we are
giving back to support our local community.”

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