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Glendale to host Rotary back-to-school clothing drive

Posted 4/22/21

Rotary Club members from across the Valley will stuff 1,000 backpacks with school supplies for the Back to School Clothing Drive this weekend in Glendale.

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Glendale to host Rotary back-to-school clothing drive

Posted

Rotary Club members from across the Valley will stuff 1,000 backpacks with school supplies for the Back to School Clothing Drive this weekend in Glendale.

The event goes from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, April 25 at the American Furniture Warehouse, 5801 N. 99th Ave.

The backpack-stuffing project caps off Arizona Rotary District 5495’s first annual Rotary Week of Service, April 17-24, which involved dozens of community-service projects hosted by Rotary Clubs throughout Arizona. District 5495, one of two Rotary International districts serving Arizona, includes 65 clubs and more than 2,100 members.

Back-to-School Clothing Drive is providing the backpacks, while Rotary Clubs are providing school supplies to be placed into the backpacks.

Rotary Club District 5495 Governor Elizabeth Mahoney said anyone wishing to volunteer for the project should contact Bret Mckeand, District 5495 Governor-Elect, at scibret@aol.com or sign up at azrotary.org. Social distancing protocols will be observed and facemasks are required.

Back to School Clothing Drive is Arizona’s largest provider of uniforms, backpacks and supplies to thousands of students at Title 1 schools in Maricopa County. The drive also delivers supplies to 600 children in foster care in partnership with Arizona Helping Hands, to 500 children who may be homeless or in transition through Children’s First Academy and Sequoia Elementary School in Mesa and 450 Luke Air Force families.

“The support of commitment by Rotary members across the Valley to ensure that children have the supplies they need to focus on their schoolwork is incredibly generous,” Back to School Clothing Drive executive director Karl Gentles stated in a news release. “This level of community support reflects the deep giving nature of our community and will enable us to help more than 5,000 students we reach each year through our summer distribution program.”

There are 115 Rotary clubs – and over 3,000 Rotarians -- in Arizona serving towns and cities of all sizes. Arizona is also served by two Rotary District 5500. The state’s first Rotary club was started over a century ago and several clubs in Arizona are preparing to celebrate their 100th anniversary.

Many clubs conducted a community service project during Rotary Week of Service, and have additional projects planned in the coming weeks. A complete list of community service projects can be found at azrotary.org.

For more information about Back to School Clothing Drive, visit backtoschoolclothingdrive.com, email karl@btscd.com, or call 602- 256-9408.

For more information about Rotary District 5495, visit rotary5495.org.