Students in Crossfield, Beiseker, Cochrane and Chestermere will be given a helping hand for the start of the 2011-12 school year thanks to a generous donation.
The Calgary chapter of the Telus Community Ambassadors Group donated 150 backpacks to Rocky View Schools’ (RVS) underprivileged student population. The bags were dropped at the division’s headquarters in Airdrie, June 7.
The group has provided backpacks to students within Calgary for the last four years.
“It’s fantastic and great they see the need is outside the scope of Calgary,” said Nikki Hall, community partner program coordinator with RVS.
Hall said the school division purposely chose locations other than Airdrie since Costco and Stephen’s Backpacks Society already assist in the city.
“We thought ‘why not go to the outlying areas?’” said Lesley Ritchie, president of the Calgary group. “I suggested there’s a need everywhere. It’s not just in the larger centres and I think, unfortunately, we forget that.”
Backpacks are loaded with all the items a student needs through the school year including rulers, pencils, pencil cases, erasers, paper and notebooks. The younger kids will also receive and activity book.
Thirty-seven backpacks will be distributed to K-3 students with the remainder going to pupils in grades 4-12.
