News
August 13, 2015Backpack and School Supplies Giveaway
Pencils. Pens. Notebooks. Binders. Paper. Glue. Crayons. Markers. Scissors. It looks like a typical list of school supplies for a child to bring on the first day of school. But for many, they won’t be taking a trip to Target or Office Max to pick up these items and cross them off their list. Priorities for many families are rent, groceries, utilities, and health needs. There simply is no money left over to indulge in required school supplies. However, some children this year will benefit from the generosity of many in the community.
On Friday, August 14, backpacks loaded with school supplies will be distributed to children in need aged 14 and under in Schenectady. The event, sponsored by the Schenectady Basketball Program, will take place at Jerry Burrell Park at the conclusion of the Summer Lunch program, starting at 2 p.m. Registration took place last week and earlier this week, and 225+ children have signed up to receive a backpack. Schenectady Inner City Ministry (SICM) put out a call to its member churches and others in the community via Facebook and the SICM website, seeking donations of school supplies to pack inside the backpacks (which were also donated). Supplies have been pouring in, and soon they will find their way into the backpacks, and into the hands of hundreds of children heading to school in a few short weeks. Other partners include the Schenectady YMCA and Fidelis.
For more information, please contact Oron Tucker at 518.878.6177, or SICM Executive Director Rev. Phil Grigsby, at revphil@sicm.us or 518.374.2683, ext 111.
Schenectady Basketball Club Inc. / Akedemikz & Athletikz is a non-profit program designed to develop at-risk youth, boys & girls ranging in age from 5 -16, into future student-athletes in the Schenectady City School District, by keeping their minds, bodies and souls active through sports development, life skills, tutoring and mentoring services. Our goal is to steer our young people away from the negative images of street life and/or peer pressure by providing them with positive resources, including a support system that embodies the needs of our youth. The club has been around for 25 years, and started at the Carver Community Center in Schenectady. The extra -curricular activities that our program provides are from 3:30 pm to 9:30 pm, 6 days a week, including the summers. Basketball (and other sports) is the platform we use to enhance the lives of our children in the community. Co-presidents of Schenectady Basketball Club are Oron Tucker and James Thomas.
