EducationNews.org : The Kids In Need National Network of Resource Centers Expands

The Kids In Need National Network of Resource Centers Expands
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EducationNews.org  on 19/01/2010 05:23:00
 
The Kids In Need National Network of Resource Centers Expands
DAYTON, OHIO – January 18, 2010 – The Kids In Need Foundation, a national,
non-profit organization dedicated to providing free school supplies to
economically disadvantaged school children and under-funded teachers, announced
today it has added two teacher free stores to its network.  The new affiliates
being added to the Kids In Need National Network of Resource Centers are located
in McAllen, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio.
Affiliates of the Kids In Need National Network serve schools in their local
areas attended by high percentages of students on the federal free and reduced
lunch program.  Although typically located in warehouses or similar
environments, the facilities are set up the same as a retail store where any
teacher would go to buy supplies for their students or classrooms.  The
difference is that there is no charge for any of the school supplies or teaching
aides taken from the shelves.
“We are very proud to become a member of the Kids In Need National Network of
Resource Centers,” said Steve Rubenstein, executive director of Crayons to
Classrooms. “From the beginning, it has been a strategic goal of ours to
become an affiliate. Working collaboratively, we look forward to leveraging the
combined good works of both organizations in the greater Dayton community.”
The addition of School Tools, a program of the Foodbank of the Rio Grand
Valley, in McAllen and Crayons to Classrooms in Dayton brings the total number
of affiliates in the Kids In Need National Network to 25 centers.  Inclusion in
the network is by invitation only and is based on a center’s stability and
efficiency, among other criteria.  The national sponsor of the Kids In Need
Network is Target, a long time supporter of the Kids In Need Foundation.
“School Tools and Crayons to Classrooms are two centers making an impact in
their communities,” said Dave Smith, executive director of the Kids In Need
Foundation.  “Their service models closely align with that originally designed
by Kids In Need, and we are proud to be able to help them serve students most in
need.”
As affiliates, the centers are eligible to receive school supplies donated to
the Kids In Need Foundation by manufacturers and retailers.  In 2009, Kids In
Need distributed more than $37 million dollars worth of school supplies,
incentive and reward items, and office furniture to the free stores in the
network.  Combined with the product procured by the individual centers locally,
the network provides school and classrooms supplies to 1.6 million children and
100,000 teachers annually.
“We are grateful to our charitable community,” said Joanna Crane, School
Tools manager.  “It is because of them that our program for the children of
The Rio Grande Valley prospers.  These children are our future and we would like
to do all we can to ensure their success.”
About School Tools
School Tools serves three counties in the Texas Rio Grande Valley, including
twelve school districts with thirty-nine schools. The program supplies students
in kindergarten and second through fifth grade. Teachers begin shopping the week
before school starts through November and begin again in January through April.
About Crayons to Classrooms
Crayons to Classrooms is a free resource center for teachers from under-funded
K-12 schools serving children who live in poverty in the Miami Valley area of
Ohio. In partnership with local foundations, businesses, individual donors, and
community volunteers, Dayton’s Crayons to Classrooms (DC2C) lifts at-risk
children’s level and love of learning by providing them the basic school
supplies that are essential to academic achievement at no cost to the
children’s teachers, families, or schools.  Crayons to Classrooms first opened
the doors of our free store in January of 2009. By December 31, 2009, we were
serving 619 teachers from 23 Dayton schools and providing useful classroom
materials to 11,606 children. We distributed classroom supplies worth $319,912. 
DC2C is located in the Goodwill Easter Seals Miami Valley Regional
Administration Building at 1511 Kuntz Road in Dayton, Ohio. [Learn more at
www.dc2c.org]
About the Kids In Need Foundation
The Kids In Need Foundation is a national 501(c)(3) charitable organization
founded in 1995.  The Foundation’s mission is to ensure that every child is
prepared to learn and succeed by providing free school supplies nationally to
students most in need. The Kids in Need National Network of Resource Centers
includes 25 facilities that allow teachers from low-income schools to obtain
free school supplies for their students. In addition, Kids In Need Teacher
Grants provide K-12 educators with funding to provide innovative learning
opportunities for students. The Kids in Need Foundation has distributed nearly
$300 million in school supplies since its founding, directly benefiting 1.6
million students and 100,000 teachers annually, and has awarded more than $1
million in grants to teachers.  The Kids In Need Foundation has received Charity
Navigator’s highest four-star rating, indicating that it executes its mission
in a fiscally responsible way and outperforms most other charities in America.
For more information, visit www.kinf.org.  Follow Kids In Need on Twitter ,
http://twitter.com/kidsinneed