CCS Still Sees Need For Tools For School
July 26, 2023 at 4:52 p.m.
Kosciusko County students received school supplies Wednesday to start off their school year well at Tools For School hosted by Combined Community Services.
Ami Pitt, Project Independence case manager/Hand-Up case manager at CCS, said this year was the event’s 28th year.
Pitt said CCS gets the area school corporations’ supply list to determine what items to buy.
“So we’re giving away full-sized backpacks and all the supplies for the grade the child is going in to go in there,” Pitt said.
Students were able to pick up items such as colored pencils, markers, composition books, three-ring binders, ruler, protractor and compass, large pink eraser, Elmer’s washable school glue, No. 2 pencils, single-subject notebook (wide and college rule), headphones and ear pods, calculator, highlighter, two-pocket folders (red and green), kids’ soft-handle scissors, 24-count crayons and dry erase markers.
It is for all students in Kosciusko County, whether they go to public or private schools or are homeschooled, she said.
Pitt said people, as well as organizations like TCU, donate funds for CCS to use on school supplies. CCS also is awarded different grants. Warsaw Breakfast Optimists donated all the backpacks that were distributed.
“Meijer really helps us by giving us the best price possible and we can just order what we want and we can go pick it up. And they are also a big contributor. Actually, this year, for what we spent at Meijer, they donated half. So they’re absolutely huge,” Pitt said.
About halfway through Wednesday’s event, Pitt said about 700 students passed through to get supplies. Typically, Tools for School services about 1,200 students.
Going back to school can be expensive, especially if there are multiple children in a family, Pitt said. For those students who can’t afford school supplies, some times that expense can fall upon the teachers or school corporation. She said CCS wants to come alongside the families and help them and that was the original thought for getting the event started “and we’re still going with that today.”
Pitt said the line had been out the door and alongside the building for at least the first half of the event. There were families lining up an hour and a half before Tools For School started.
Students were also able to register for school for Warsaw and Tippecanoe Valley school corporations while at Tools for School. WCS Superintendent Dr. David Hoffert spent several hours at the door greeting students. For Warsaw students, Pitt said that was wonderful. She said CCS would love for all school corporations in the county to be represented at Tools for School and give students the opportunity to meet corporation staff.
The event helps get students excited and prepared for school, she said.
Bentley Pitts gets a haircut from Donna Goble at Tools for School at the Kosciusko County fairgrounds Wednesday. Photo by Jackie Gorski, Times-Union
Kosciusko County students received school supplies Wednesday to start off their school year well at Tools For School hosted by Combined Community Services.
Ami Pitt, Project Independence case manager/Hand-Up case manager at CCS, said this year was the event’s 28th year.
Pitt said CCS gets the area school corporations’ supply list to determine what items to buy.
“So we’re giving away full-sized backpacks and all the supplies for the grade the child is going in to go in there,” Pitt said.
Students were able to pick up items such as colored pencils, markers, composition books, three-ring binders, ruler, protractor and compass, large pink eraser, Elmer’s washable school glue, No. 2 pencils, single-subject notebook (wide and college rule), headphones and ear pods, calculator, highlighter, two-pocket folders (red and green), kids’ soft-handle scissors, 24-count crayons and dry erase markers.
It is for all students in Kosciusko County, whether they go to public or private schools or are homeschooled, she said.
Pitt said people, as well as organizations like TCU, donate funds for CCS to use on school supplies. CCS also is awarded different grants. Warsaw Breakfast Optimists donated all the backpacks that were distributed.
“Meijer really helps us by giving us the best price possible and we can just order what we want and we can go pick it up. And they are also a big contributor. Actually, this year, for what we spent at Meijer, they donated half. So they’re absolutely huge,” Pitt said.
About halfway through Wednesday’s event, Pitt said about 700 students passed through to get supplies. Typically, Tools for School services about 1,200 students.
Going back to school can be expensive, especially if there are multiple children in a family, Pitt said. For those students who can’t afford school supplies, some times that expense can fall upon the teachers or school corporation. She said CCS wants to come alongside the families and help them and that was the original thought for getting the event started “and we’re still going with that today.”
Pitt said the line had been out the door and alongside the building for at least the first half of the event. There were families lining up an hour and a half before Tools For School started.
Students were also able to register for school for Warsaw and Tippecanoe Valley school corporations while at Tools for School. WCS Superintendent Dr. David Hoffert spent several hours at the door greeting students. For Warsaw students, Pitt said that was wonderful. She said CCS would love for all school corporations in the county to be represented at Tools for School and give students the opportunity to meet corporation staff.
The event helps get students excited and prepared for school, she said.
Bentley Pitts gets a haircut from Donna Goble at Tools for School at the Kosciusko County fairgrounds Wednesday. Photo by Jackie Gorski, Times-Union