United Way of San Antonio and Bexar County’s 6th annual Write Start Project was a huge success, with over $40,000 in school supplies distributed to educators in Somerset and Judson ISDs.
Research shows that nearly all public school teachers pay for their classroom supplies without getting reimbursed. Texas school teachers spend more out of their own pockets than teachers from any other state, spending an estimated $298 million on supplies out of pocket during the 2022-23 school year. The average teacher in the U.S. spends at least $820 out of their own pocket each year.
“As a retired teacher, it filled my heart with joy to be able to deliver care packages for teachers that contained items needed to start the school year off on the right foot,” said Rosanna Guzman, former educator and United Way volunteer. “Every summer, teachers spend lots of their own money on basic supplies,” she added.
Items donated included #2 pencils, composition notebooks, crayons, disinfecting wipes, dry erase markers, glue sticks, hand sanitizer, highlighters, notebook paper, permanent markers, spiral notebooks, sticky notes, zipper storage bags and more.
Initiatives like the Write Start Project give teachers and students the supplies they need to start the school year right.
“I jumped at the opportunity to help teachers,” said Deborah Absalon, United Way volunteer. “Teachers give so much of themselves and are often so overlooked and overburdened.”
The 2023 Write Start Project is just one example of how United Way of San Antonio and Bexar County helps students. United Way’s Successful Students Impact Area also invests in programs that increase reading proficiency, math proficiency, support disconnected youth and improve school attendance.
If you are interested in volunteering with United Way, please visit uwsatx.org for information on how you can give back to others in our community.
|
Categories: Volunteer Tags: Volunteer • Write Start |
