Progressers Give Back: Back-to-School Season

September marks back-to-school time in the States, and to celebrate, Progressers in the U.S. volunteered their time and money to support education efforts in their local communities.

Morrisville Progressers are constantly organizing efforts to give back to their local communities, so it's no surprise the team came together for another volunteering activity. Dale Foster, Office Services Coordinator; Joelle Andrews, Product Marketing Manager; and Mark Troester, VP of Strategy, coordinated a “back-to-school" drive in support of WakeEd Partnership’s Tools4Schools.

The organization provides free classroom supplies to nearly 11,000 teachers in North Carolina’s largest school district to ensure that all students in the Wake County Public School System have what they need to focus on learning.

“Organizations like Tools4Schools have dedicated staff like Program Manager Sheneika Simmons working hard to fulfill their mission, but employees like Sheneika can only do so much,” said Joelle. “It’s up to the rest of us to volunteer our time. Partnering together is how we really make a difference in our community.”

Along with coordinating the “back to school” drive, Dale, Joelle and Mark volunteered at Tools4Schools to help build shelving, organize the store and help teachers navigate the store. Progress also made a $1,000 donation to the organization.

“I was happy to help with organizing and volunteering the time for our back-to-school donation,” said Dale. “It makes me feel ProgressPROUD to help teachers and students access the tools they need to improve learning.”

In addition to the amazing efforts of the Morrisville team, Progressers attending Progress360 filled 100 bags of school supplies to donate to a local school.

Progressers also selected the following organizations to donate money:

• Sandy Springs Education Force (SSEF) - SSEF designs and implements free supplemental programs to engage, support and encourage economically disadvantaged public-school students to excel academically, finish high school and then go on to pursue a vocation or attend college.
• United Way Stuff the Bus Program - This program provides students with new school supplies, preparing them for their academic studies, building their self-esteem and setting them up for success.
• Cradles to Crayons - A non-profit organization that provides children from birth through age 12 living in homeless or low-income situations with the essential items they need to thrive at home, at school and at play.
• The Goodman Community Center - A staple of the Madison community, the Goodman Community Center serves people ages three to 103 with their children and youth programs, older adult activities and meals, food pantry, fitness center, event spaces and more.

Supporting education across the globe will always be a priority for Progress, as we believe in the power of education and providing students with access to the right resources. From our Women in STEM Scholarship series, to our recent $25,000 donation to Anitab.org and organizing countless fundraisers across the Progress globe, we will continue our work in supporting education efforts. We hope you’ll join us.