Back to school looks a little different this year.
The coronavirus pandemic has many students, including those in Chicago Public Schools, learning remotely for now, but no matter where school happens, there’s nothing like a stack of fresh school supplies to get the year started off right. Or at least as right as we can make it.
The students served by the Albany Park Community Center on Chicago’s north side get a little extra help each year under a school supply drive launched by the local business community. This year we were especially grateful to be able to do something to lend a bit of normalcy to the start of school, in a year that has had very little of it.
For more than 15 years, TPH Global® has been teaming up with other members of the Peterson Pulaski Industrial Group and the Albany Park Community Center to bring supplies and encouragement to students whose families are typically among those hardest hit by economic turbulence.
This year, we donated 150 backpacks stuffed with donated school supplies and decorated with the community center logo. The distribution of new backpacks, pencils, pens and notebooks to the children served by the center is always a cheerful event and this year was no exception.
“We are very happy to support the work of the Albany Park Community Center,” said TPH CEO Philip Schmidt. “Being able to help kids go to school is very important to us and we are glad we could make it a little easier for the children this year.”
Why Help the Albany Park Community Center?
The Albany Park Community Center was established in 1975 to help educate and support residents of one of the most diverse communities in the United States.
Members of the community have roots that stretch around the world to Latin America, the Philippines, India, Korea, Cambodia, Somalia, Romania, Pakistan and the Middle East. There are 40 different languages spoken in the area’s public schools. The community center provides an after-school program, and a variety of social, educational and recreational programs. Citizenship classes, job training, family counseling and adult education are also available at the center.
The annual school supply drive distributes the collected items to the children in kindergarten through fifth grade who participate in the after-school program.
How You Can Help
From volunteering to donating, there are many ways to get involved. Even your Amazon purchases can provide donations if you sign up for AmazonSmile, a program in which a percentage of your purchase price goes to a non-profit of your choice, such as the Albany Park Community Center.
