The Bus is Full - And Then Some

Since July 16, Rotary-affiliated businesses and students at Duke have been collecting crayons, notebooks, glue sticks, folders and other needed school supplies to prevent teachers from having to go into their own pockets to provide such items to needy children.

"This has been an amazingly successful campaign, the biggest in C2C's history," says Amy Cummings, executive director of Crayons2Calculators. "With Rotary's continued support, we will soon fulfill C2C's vision that all teachers in Durham Public Schools have access to all the supplies they need to educate the next generation, and that a lack of supplies will never limit the educational experiences of our children."  

The supply drive culminated in the Fill that Bus! event on Saturday.  Durham residents dropped off school supplies filling a large yellow school bus located outside Office Depot. The campaign was coordinated by Rotarians in the Southwest Durham Rotary Club, led by club President Joyce McKinney.

More than 60% of DPS students qualify for free and reduced lunch. Those families simply are not able to provide adequate supplies for their children or their classrooms and may come from households living in poverty that cannot provide school supplies. 

"The overwhelming success of this campaign demonstrates that Durham residents recognize how important it is for all students to have adequate school supplies," says Newman Aguiar, Assistant District Governor for the Rotary area. "C2C addresses a critical need in our community. The incredible generosity that was so evident throughout this campaign confirms the Durham community's desire to support our teachers and students and ensure that they have the best opportunity to succeed in school."