300 Spokane students receive free backpacks filled with school supplies for the new school year
As teachers across the state prepare their classrooms for a new school year, families are shopping for new backpacks and school supplies for their kids. But what happens to the families and students who cannot afford to spend hundreds of dollars on new school supplies each year?
SPOKANE, Wash., Aug. 30, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 300 Spokane students raced through the halls of Bemiss Elementary School last week with brand new backpacks full of school supplies to take home.
This was part of a backpack giveaway hosted by Inspirus Credit Union, where students at Bemiss Elementary School were invited to shop for their own back to school supplies.
Hundreds of anxious and excited Bemiss Bulldogs waited patiently outside for the Inspirus backpack store to open. As students walked through the front doors, they were greeted by an Inspirus team member who handed students play money to "shop" with.
As students started shopping, they practiced their budgeting skills to determine which school supplies they could afford with the money they were given, all while making sure they got the supplies on their class list.
"It was such a gratifying day knowing that we served over 300 students with brand new backpacks and school supplies," said Inspirus Credit Union President Scott Adkins. "We're proud supporters of Washington's education community and this event truly shows how much Inspirus team members care about our passion for education and how accepted our giveback is within the community."
Eight Inspirus team-members volunteered to support the event, in addition to the volunteers from Spokane Public Schools.
"Thank you so much for all your efforts and support of students at Bemiss!" said Bemiss Elementary School Principal Janice Erickson. "Everything went very smoothly and all were happy. The many smiles and thank you from families were very heartfelt."
The remaining 200 backpacks were donated to the district's HEART Program (Homeless Education and Resource Team).
Inspirus Credit Union donated 1,000 backpacks in total to support Washington's McKinney-Vento students and they have plans to donate more before the school year begins. For more information, visit the Inspirus Facebook page @inspirusCU.
About Inspirus Credit Union
Founded in 1936 by a Seattle math and journalism teacher, Inspirus serves 80,000 members across Washington who share a passion for education. With $1.1 billion in assets, Inspirus operates branches in Seattle, Spokane, and Lynnwood. Its philanthropy model includes education-giveback programs that allow members to direct charitable contributions to schools in their communities. Inspirus team members donate upwards of 1,000 volunteer hours each year in support of education. Inspirus Credit Union is a 2017 winner of Puget Sound Business Journal's Corporate Champion Awards, honoring their contributions to education. For more information, visit inspirusCU.org.
SOURCE Inspirus Credit Union
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