GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KREX) - At 7 a.m. on Friday seems like a quiet time in the community, but there is a parking lot full of cars ready to go on a mission.
The Rotary Club donated $20,000 in school supplies to District 51. Twenty-five elementary schools, 7 middle schools and industry charter schools were given supplies for the new academic year.
Tanya Nees, assistant principal at Orchard Avenue Elementary, states, “Teachers need a lot of supplies at the beginning of the school year to be prepared. We know that often teachers use their own money to purchase those supplies.”
Rotary Club board member Wayne Sallade says a donation like this is important not just for the teachers, but for the students as well.
Sallade explains, “It's a big deal because a lot of our kids need supplies, and you can't rely on teachers to take it out of their pocket. So this supplement is by no means solving the problem but it does supplement what they need at the schools.”
With the help of the Rotary Club and the community, teachers and students will have the supplies they need to have a successful academic year.
Brian Hill, superintendent of District 51, says, “Our theme this year is ‘Together We Thrive.' This is a great example of ‘Together as a Community,’ working for our students and working to better our education community.”
Sallade tells WesternSlopeNow that without the donation, teachers would have a harder time providing for their students.
“I think that it would put much more of a burden on teachers who already put too much of their own money into bringing supplies for kids. These are things that can make life a little easier when the school year starts,” Sallade said.
Now with these school supplies, the sky's the limit for teachers and students. They couldn't be more thankful.
“It's the best. We couldn't do the work that we do here at our school without our community. We have so many different community partners and funding sources that help us function and provide the level of education that we do for our learners. I'm so appreciative of the community and it means so much to teachers and families,” Nees explains.
With all of the new supplies coming into the school year, the teachers are looking to have a great start.