Crayons to Calculators school supply drive seeks donations, volunteers By Amy Bounds Staff Writer POSTED: 07/06/2015 06:37:06 PM MDT From left: Claire Gillett, 16, her sister Mary Gillett, 15, Meg Sullivan, 12 and her brother John Sullivan, 14, bundle highlighters for the Crayons to Calculators program Monday at Main Street School, 820 Main St. in Longmont. (Lewis Geyer / Staff Photographer) Tables in a room at Longmont's Main Street School are covered with crayons, notebooks, pencils, glue, scissors and various other school supplies, ready for hundreds of volunteers to portion them out into colorful backpacks. The backpack stuffing for St. Vrain Valley School District students through the annual Crayons to Calculators school supply drive started Monday, with Boulder Valley School District volunteers starting next week.
Along with seeking volunteers from both districts, the drive also is asking community members and businesses to donate supplies and backpacks. Grant Simon, project manager for Crayons to Calculators, said the goal is to fill more than 10,000 backpacks before school starts in August. "The cost of a backpack and supplies for each kid is about $75, which presents a pretty big financial burden, especially for families with multiple kids," he said. "We want to make sure every kid is on a level playing field when they start school." Together, the two school districts have more than 15,000 students receiving federal lunch assistance, an indicator of family poverty. Schools in the two districts provide lists of students whose families are low income or need extra help, allowing the drive to target its resources. Pencils are bundled Monday at Main Street School, 820 Main St. in Longmont, for the Crayons to Calculators program. (Lewis Geyer / Staff Photographer) On Monday, high school students and several families volunteered. "It's a good cause, and we're helping kids who can't afford school supplies," said Katherine Gonzales, an incoming sophomore at Longmont's Silver Creek High School. Mead's Alyssa Rehder, a St. Vrain preschool teacher, brought her younger brother to help with a goal of giving back. "Could you imagine going to school without crayons or pencils?" she asked. "We want to make sure all kids are ready to learn." Her brother, Zack Rehder, is an incoming sophomore at Mead High School. "I really like my education, and I love learning," he said. "This is a way to help others where I am." Crayons to Calculators started in 2005 to combine the community's efforts and resources into one main school supply drive each year. Collaborators' include Foothills United Way, I
Have A Dream Foundation of Boulder County, Impact on Education, Sister Carmen Community Center and the Education Foundation for the St. Vrain Valley. Western Disposal kicks off the drive each year with a fundraiser and donated about $135,000 this year enough for organizers to buy about half the backpacks and supplies needed at wholesale prices. For the rest, the drive depends on donations. The requested supplies hit the highlights of the various school supply lists, giving students the basics they'll need for the year. Especially needed, organizers said, are high school backpacks and supplies, which include scientific calculators and binders. School supply lists for each level can be found at crayonstocalculators.org. Simon said schools make sure the backpacks are given out discreetly so students in need aren't singled out and tries to buy a variety of backpacks so there's no way to tell who has a free one. "We want to prevent any sort of stigmas with getting the backpacks," he said. Crayons to Calculators school supply drive drop-off locations, open until July 31 Boulder Elevations Credit Union: 2960 Diagonal Hwy. Elevations Credit Union: 4760 Baseline Road Elevations Credit Union: 6611 S. Broadway Elevations Credit Union: 2300 55th St. Holland and Hart: 1800 Broadway, Suite 300 I Have a Dream Foundation of Boulder County: 5390 Manhattan Circle Broomfield Broomfield United Church: 825 Kohl St. Double D's Pizza: 535 Zang St.
Elevations, 4750 W 120 th Ave. Erie Great Western Bank: 785 Cheesman St. Summit Bank and Trust: 199 S. Briggs St. Firestone Adams Bank & Trust: 8308 Colorado Blvd. Carbon Valley Library: 7 Park Ave. Frederick Carbon Valley Regional Library: 7 Park Ave. Town of Frederick: 401 Locust St. Lafayette Complete Care Chiropractic: 1280 Centaur Village Drive, Suite 8 Elevations Credit Union: 1900 W. South Boulder Road First United Methodist Church: 1255 Centaur Drive Foothill United Way: 1285 Cimarron Drive Great Western Bank: 2695 N Park Drive, Suite 101 King Soopers: 480 U.S. Highway 287 Sister Carmen Community Center: 701 W. Baseline Road WOW! Children's Museum: 110 N. Harrison Ave. Lafayette Public Library: 775 W. Baseline Road YMCA Boulder Valley: 2800 Dagney Way
Longmont Elevations Credit Union: 1079 S. Hover Road Elevations Credit Union: 777 21st Ave. Front Range Community College: 2190 Miller Drive High Plains Bank: 600 Kimbark St. Lifebridge Christian Church: 10345 Ute Hwy. Longmont Tutoring Club: 1445 Nelson Road Origin Martial Arts: 1566 Vista View Drive Summit Foursquare Church: 703 17th Ave. Sunflower Bank: 15 E. Ken Pratt Blvd. The Brew Creperie & Coffee: 314 Main St. Alpha Martial Arts, 195 S. Main St. Walmart, 2285 Ken Pratt Blvd. and 2514 Main St. YMCA, 950 Lashley St. Louisville Chase Bank: 578 S. McCaslin Blvd. Davis Financial: 400 S. McCaslin Blvd., Suite 200 Elevations, 300 McCaslin Blvd. Elite Chiropractic: 1020 West Century Drive Great Western Bank: 1020 Century Drive Great Western Bank: 801 Main St., Suite 130 Impact On Education: 721 Front St., Suite A Paul's Coffee: 956 West Cherry
Superior Superior North Pool: 1650 North Indiana Superior South Pool: 3000 South Huron Peak Aidan Wegner, 12, bundles pens Monday at Main Street School, 820 Main St. in Longmont, for the Crayons to Calculators program. (Lewis Geyer / Staff Photographer) For more information, including school supply lists and volunteer opportunities, go to CrayonsToCalculators.org. Amy Bounds: 303-473-1341, boundsa@dailycamera.com or twitter.com/boundsa