Broward Education Foundation and Office Depot teamed up for the Start Proud! event where they distributed nearly 1,000 brand-new backpacks filled with supplies to Davie Elementary School students on Monday, Aug. 17.
Each backpack was filled with school supplies, including notebooks, composition books, notecards, highlighters, pens, pencils and also included one Office Depot® OfficeMax® merchandise card for parents to purchase additional supplies for their child throughout the school year.
On hand to help safely distribute the nearly 1,000 backpacks and welcome students to a productive new school year were Broward County Public Schools Superintendent Robert Runcie, Chief School Performance & Account Officer Dr. Valerie Smith Wanza, School Board Members Donna Korn and Laurie Rich Levinson, Broward Education Foundation Board Chair Tim Curtin and Foundation Board Members Sue Colton and Ruth Carter-Lynch, Davie Elementary School Principal Erik Anderson with teachers and staff from Davie Elementary and a contingent of Office Depot employees.
“We are incredibly thankful for the generous support and the amazing partnership we’ve forged with Office Depot,” said Shea Ciriago, executive director of Broward Education Foundation. “Although the start of the school is virtual, students throughout Broward County now have the educational supplies and learning tools necessary to learn and thrive.”
Davie Elementary School teacher Kelly De Varona was recognized as an “All-Star Teacher” and presented with new furniture, teaching supplies, technology and tech services from Office Depot, valued at more than $1,500.
About Broward Education Foundation
Broward Education Foundation is the only 501(c)3 charitable organization solely dedicated to supporting Broward County Public Schools and serves as a catalyst for educational excellence by providing teacher grants to fund development of innovative curriculum that advances Pre K-12 achievement; vitally needed school supplies for Title I school students, and scholarships for qualified high school seniors. Established in 1983, the non-profit Broward Education Foundation contributes more than $3 million to Broward County Public Schools annually. In 2018, responding to the Stoneman Douglas High School tragedy, Broward Education Foundation initiated a GoFundMe campaign, established the official Stoneman Douglas Victims’ Fund and raised $10.5M for victims’ families, survivors and those impacted. Broward Education Foundation is proven agile, adept and responsive to shifting needs in education and our community. For more information visit browardedfoundation.org, email BEFInfo@browardschools.com, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
