Spring Branch ISD Featured News

The power of Collective Greatness was manifested in August as the Spring Branch Education Foundation (#SBEF) sponsored an enormous school supply drive that ultimately benefited 13,603 Spring Branch ISD students.

Due to unprecedented community support this summer, SBEF was able to provide supplies for all SBISD elementary and -- for the first time-- middle school students who qualify for free or reduced priced lunch at Title 1 schools. Funds are often tight in these students’ homes, and families may struggle to pay for all the back-to-school needs of their children, so the donated supplies were a welcome lift.

“This was the largest school supply drive we have ever had,” said SBEF Director CeCe Thompson, “It was truly amazing to see how, collectively, so much was provided by the community.”

The list of area partners who contributed funds and/or in-kind donations to the 2019 school supply drive is impressive:

• Royal Bank of Canada
• Wells Fargo Bank
• First Community Credit Union
• Air Liquide
• MetroNational
• The Courtyard Marriott Houston on I-10
• Family Point Resources
• Duncan YMCA
• Trotter YMCA
• More than $25,000 donated in a Community Drive

“This year’s drive focused on the large demand for binders, tissues and hand sanitizer, in addition to the traditional school supplies,” said a representative from MetroNational, a real estate investment, development and management company in the Memorial City area.

“Collection boxes and promotional posters were placed in the busiest Memorial City office building lobbies and inside Memorial City Mall. The Memorial City community supported this very successful initiative, and collected supplies were given to SBEF for area distribution.”

A unique outpouring of support, in honor of a district employee on medical leave, took place at the Athletics department. Invitees brought hand sanitizer and Kleenex to donate to the SBEF drive. Although these were not pencils and paper, these types of health-control supplies help students, and teachers, stay healthy so learning can happen.

“If more partners get involved, we hope to provide supplies to the high schools next year,” said Thompson.

Community partners who want to participate in the SBEF school supply drive in the future will appreciate the ways the foundation shepherds donations into the hands (and backpacks!) of students who need them most. SBEF leverages the generosity of partners and community to purchase school supplies cost effectively, and efficiently directs in-kind donations to the schools with the greatest needs.

Individuals or area organizations should contact CeCe Thompson or call 713-251-2381 to join in the multiplying power of the SBEF School Supply Drive.

By Becky Wuerth, SBISD Communications

Becky.wuerth@springbranchisd.com