Our Blog: where do you stand?

Standing up for St. Louis' Next Generation of Writers

By: Gretchen Schiltz | 07/10/2008

I recently attended KidSmart's 2008 Push for Pencils campaign kickoff (which earned me a “Walking the Halls” award; thank you, Justin). KidSmart is a local nonprofit that supplies 40,000 St. Louis-area children with basic school supplies that they could not afford otherwise. To jump-start the Push for Pencils campaign, which will take place the last week in August, KidSmart hosts a breakfast for its corporate partners at its free store. It's a great opportunity to share ideas and stories about successful drives; to hear from students and teachers who benefit from these supplies; and to see the free store, where teachers from qualifying schools can shop for their students – for free!

I got involved with Push for Pencils two years ago, when Standing hosted its first drive, and I have been increasingly involved ever since. When I first learned about KidSmart, its mission and the profound need for the support it provides, I was stunned. I'd like to avoid sounding naïve here, but let's face it, I was. Pencils, paper, crayons, notebooks … these are all things I took for granted as a kid, but to many children (80,000 in the St. Louis area, in fact), these are luxury items! To hear one teacher describe it, her kids' faces light up when it's “KidSmart Day.” (You can listen to more stories here.)

Needless to say, I am thrilled to be leading Standing's upcoming Push for Pencils charge … and I'm looking for ways to further expand our drive. Do any of the Where Do You Stand? readers have any suggestions? Would you be interested in hosting a drive? Or, would you be willing to bring a pack of pencils when you visit our office next? Some of Standing Partnership's corporate partners have already gotten involved: Mayflower Transit has donated a moving truck to help store all of the collected items, and the St. Louis Rams will be hosting the team's first PFP drive this year!

KidSmart's list of most-needed supplies are: pencils, markers, crayons, glue, loose-leaf paper, scissors, spiral notebooks, backpacks, colored pencils, two-pocket folders, pens and supply boxes.

Posted in Where We Stand