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For many years, The Rotary Club of Wickenburg has been helping children from needy families with backpacks and school supplies such as paper, construction paper, notebooks, index cards, pencils, pens, cases, markers, crayons, highlighters, dry erase markers, binders, folders, and much more. This helps parents cope with one of the most expensive milestones they must confront each year: the start of the fall school term.
In Arizona, the school supply lists can be overwhelming for parents. For needy families, this cost is a very severe burden—especially since most households we serve include multiple children.
Over the past several years since we have been operating our Back-to-School program the number of children living in poverty who need this program has increased annually. The figure in the areas we serve now stands at just over 300 kids. It is our goal to provide each child with the complete school supply set required by our local schools. Using our not-for-profit status, our relationships with various vendors to solicit in-kind donations, and our partnership with the locals schools and other community programs, helps us to satisfy the required back-to-school list at a very significantly low price.
Everyone agrees that education should be the foremost component in any effort to break the cycle of poverty. This program is truly the final and least expensive step on the long and costly road involved in providing education to our children. There is something even more tragic than the sight of a child arriving at school the first day with no learning materials - that would be the sarcasm potentially brilliant minds develop toward the whole idea of education - all because of the embarrassment and resentment they feel by being inferior in their classrooms. Why would they want to stay in school?
Rotary Club of Wickenburg works consistently and actively to minimize this "separation" between the children by giving each child the opportunity to walk into the classroom with a positive proud attitude.
Previously in District 5490
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