Backpack drive aims to supply 400 kids for school

Carol Rice has seen firsthand what new pencils, glue, scissors, folders and multi-colored tabs can do for a child.
   Last August, she saw a dramatic turnaround in eight children from a single-parent home who initially had been apprehensive about the first day of school, but became enthusiastic about academics when they got the school supplies and uniforms they needed.
   Rice is hoping that a Back to School Backpack and Supply Drive sponsored by the Nueces County Community Partners Board, under way through Friday, will do the same for other children.
   This school supply drive targets children still living at home whose families are under Child Protective Services scrutiny.
   The nonprofit organization hopes to raise 400 filled backpacks.
   Heavy burden
   Worrying about not having the necessary supplies for school can be a heavy burden on children, said Rice, a Child Protective Services specialist. The eight children she worked with last year knew their mother's income would never stretch far enough to buy the items on each of the school supply lists given them, much less new clothing, and dreaded returning to school knowing that they would be picked on by some classmates.
   But thanks to a single donation from someone in the community, Rice was able to get the eight ready for school.
   "They felt so empowered," said Rice, recalling that one of the eight, a 13-year-old middle school student, had been so moved by the gesture that she told Rice she "wanted to be a caseworker just like her someday and help families."
   Reba Garza, also a Child Protective Services specialist, said peer cruelty cuts deep in children.

How you can help Backpack and school supply drive donations can be dropped off from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday-Friday, at the Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services building, 4201 Greenwood Drive. For information, call 878-7518 or 878-7552.

   "They find their peers leave them out and it doesn't take long for kids to label them as needy or poor and that, in turn, affects them emotionally and mentally," Garza said.
   For this back-to-school drive, each donor who calls Child Protective Services will be given the first name, gender, age and grade of a child, including a handy list of school supply items that student will likely need for the year. Donors have the option of sponsoring more than one child and can be provided with the child's clothing and shoe sizes as well.
   Donors also can request to continue sponsoring that same child for as long as Child Protective Services works with that family, said Al Cardenas, coordinator for volunteer services and community initiatives with the agency.
   "This is a first for us," Cardenas said. "It came up during a recent board meeting because there have been many who've called to say they really want to maintain a connection with a child they help." The sponsorship concept allows donors to get Christmas gifts, Easter baskets and other things for that same child, yet does not compromise case confidentiality.