GULFPORT, Miss.—Keesler FCU here has completed a major community giveback project, Backpacks 4 Bright Futures, which resulted in thousands of backpacks and school supplies donated to 6,200 students in 64 schools across 16 school districts.
The supplies went to incoming kindergarten students in the six counties surrounding Keesler FCU’s main office.
“Keesler Federal is committed to member and community giveback programs demonstrating the credit union difference. In preparation for our Strategic Planning session, our board decided to focus on supporting education, knowing the increasing cost of school supplies burdens young families and teachers alike. This project was a win-win-win,” said James Hollingsworth, chairman of Keesler Federal’s board.
“Backpacks 4 Bright Futures gave the opportunity for all levels of the Keesler Federal team to work shoulder to shoulder on this community project. We were able to lessen the parents' financial burden, and teachers appreciated being able to focus on educating, and not worrying about supplies,” he added.
At right, from left: Anthony Abella, financial education specialist, and James Hollingsworth, chairman of Keesler Federal’s board greet kindergartners receiving school supplies from Backpacks 4 Bright Futures.
Total donations included:
- 6,200 backpacks containing scissors, composition books, binders, pencil cases and boxes of tissues
- 12,400 bottles of glue, spiral notebooks and bottles of hand sanitizer
- 18,600 erasers
- 24,800 folders, yellow highlighters, dry erase markers
- 49,600 glue sticks
- 74,400 pencil cap erasers and colored pencils
- 99,200 markers
- 148,800 number two pencils
- 297,600 crayons
- 310,000 sheets of construction paper
Anthony Abella, financial education specialist at Keesler Federal, served as the Backpacks 4 Bright Futures project coordinator.
“Working on this project has been very eye-opening. When we researched where the need would be for backpacks and school supplies, we were amazed at how much parents and teachers spend per student,” he said. “Seeing the smiling faces of kindergarteners as the end result definitely made all the hard work worth it.”