BEAVERCREEK — News Center 7 will host the “7 Circle of Kindness” school supply drive tomorrow at Walmart to support local teachers who often pay for classroom supplies out of their own pockets.
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The event aims to help a Miami Valley non-profit alleviate the financial burden on educators and families.
The drive benefits Crayons to Classrooms, a non-profit organization that serves approximately 150 schools throughout the Miami Valley.
During the last school year, nearly 2,700 teachers used the organization’s free store to collect more than $2.5 million worth of supplies.
Rachel Miller is a kindergarten teacher at Warder Park-Wayne Elementary in Springfield.
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She has taught for 15 years and said she views her classroom as a community.
“You are like a second family to them, and they are you,” Miller said. Because some families struggle to afford school clothes and supplies, Miller said teachers often step in to fill the gaps using their own money.
“I would say hundreds of dollars have been put into my classrooms,” she said.
Miller noted that she frequently provides items ranging from notebooks to a pair of socks.
“There is just stuff that you don’t think about,” she said.
Crayons to Classrooms operates a facility designed to look like a retail store where teachers can shop at no cost.
Amy Kopp, executive director of Crayons to Classrooms, said the organization serves as a primary resource for educators.
“We look like a retail store and the teachers can come here and basically take what they need back to their classroom at no cost,” Kopp said.
Kopp said that teachers are best equipped to identify what their students need to succeed in the classroom.
“The teachers know what lesson plans they’re teaching,” Kopp said. “They know what curriculum they need to meet and what supplies they need to make that happen. They also know which students in the class need what supplies.”
Miller said that the support from the non-profit is vital for educators in the region.
“A lot of us teachers would be struggling even more if we didn’t have a place like this,” Miller said. “And more so, we’re so thankful for it.”
Community members will have the opportunity to donate supplies to benefit Crayons to Classrooms.
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