Activists Announce School Supplies Drive to Benefit D.C. Voucher Students

Goal: Raise $5,000+ by July 1st to Help Low-Income Children

WASHINGTON, June 15 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- More than 300 low-income children who participate in Washington, D.C.'s school voucher program will receive school supplies and books at no cost next year, thanks to a campaign spearheaded by education activists and a national media company.

Renowned education reform advocate Virginia Walden Ford has teamed with media entrepreneur Andrew Campanella to coordinate a fundraising drive benefiting the D.C. Black Alliance for Educational Options (D.C. BAEO). Each fall, D.C. BAEO provides school supplies, supplemental educational materials, and books to disadvantaged children who receive school vouchers through the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program. The campaign will partially fund the effort for the 2010-2011 school year.

In addition to a direct mail and Internet-based fundraising, the team will raise funds at a "Summer Reception" on July 1 at the Renaissance Hotel Dupont Circle from 6 to 9 p.m. Event tickets are $45 and can be purchased online at www.HelpDCKids.com .

"This fundraising drive will provide the resources necessary to help D.C. BAEO provide assistance to low-income families who struggle day-in and day-out to make ends meet," said Virginia Walden Ford, executive director of D.C. Parents for School Choice and the D.C. Black Alliance for Educational Options.

"We've been honored to receive such tremendous early interest in this event," said Campanella, managing partner of Campanella Communications Group (www.CCGNewsroom.com). "We hope that individuals, companies, and organizations will continue to realize that even though a school supplies drive might not be considered 'sexy' or 'cool', it's vitally important to disadvantaged families."

Major donors to the effort, to date, include: Susan and Bill Oberndorf, MasterPrint, The Gleason Family Foundation, LJ Design, Ventana Productions, The Heritage Foundation, John Schilling, and Paramount Communication. In addition, 44 other individual and corporate donors are supporting the effort.

Individuals interested in donating money to help low-income D.C. kids can purchase sponsorships, sponsor tickets for low-income parents to attend the July 1st event, or buy a fully-stocked backpack for a low-income child for $25 online at www.HelpDCKids.com.

For more information, call 800-750-6510 or visit www.HelpDCKids.com .

SOURCE Campanella Communications Group, LLC