Give Back to School with Elmer’s Glue Bag It Forward!

This will be the second school year I don’t return to the classroom. Last year was hard… to not make a zillion runs to stock up on paper, pens, sticky notes, stickers, and other school supplies. I LOVE new school supplies!

The start of school always stood out to me as a child. The pink smell of new erasers, blank notebooks filled only with possibility. A new outfit and a backpack stuffed with brand-new supplies made me excited for that first day! However, not every kid gets that same feeling when September rolls around. You might think, “What’s the big deal about new pens and pencils?” They make school seem fresh and new each year, shiny tools to help you be successful. Getting new school supplies helps children get excited about learning! I want every kid to have that same “fresh start” feeling I always get in September (yes, I still get it, watching the buses go by out the window, even if I’m not a part of it anymore!).

This year, I am thrilled to participate as one of the bloggers in the Elmer’s Glue Bag It Forward 2011 program. It’s all about putting new school supplies into the hands of every child who needs them! Anyone can participate in Elmer’s Glue Bag It Forward! It’s simple. When you stop at the store to pick up supplies for your child, just add a few extras to your bag, and donate! You can fill a bag, or donate a few items! (PSST: Elmer’s is a Upromise partner and that every time you purchase an Elmer’s or Krazy Glue product with your registered drug or grocery card, a percentage of your purchase will be put into your Upromise account!).

If you can’t afford to purchase extra school supplies, you can help Elmer’s donate! Elmer’s Glue is donating one product for every “Like” on the Elmer’s Facebook page to the Kids In Need foundation, and an additional item for every view the video on the Kids In Need tab receives. So go online and donate virtual school supplies, and you’ll be helping a child in need! We can all make a difference this way!

As part of my promotion of the Elmer’s Glue Bag It Forward program, my task was to purchase a bag of school supplies for my child and one to donate to a child in need. However, my son is 17-months-old. I hardly think a Trapper-Keeper and backpack is in order for him yet! So I decided to give both bags away!

I enlisted the help of the principal from Woodland School, Helene Marchese. Helene administers our alternative education school in my town. She is brilliant at helping students who have not been successful at their home schools achieve positive school success! She was ecstatic to pick two children from her summer school program to receive supply bags, and volunteered to go shopping with me!

I took my son and met her at Wal-mart! I’m glad she joined us! Helene knew all the “in” styles and what kinds of items the children would use day to day (I’m a secondary school teacher, so I miss out on the fun glitter glue supplies!).

We decided it would be fun to totally outfit these kids for the school year, complete with backpacks, lunch boxes, folders, pens, crayons, and of course, Elmer’s Glue supplies! Check out our entire shopping trip via my This Moment story!

I was a bit disappointed by the Elmer’s display. Usually Elmer’s is well-stocked with glitter paints and markers, posterboard decorations and more. But this day, it seemed the shelves had been cleared out. I had hoped for some stickable letters that I’ve seen in the past, or just more colorful items. Of course, we did find several different kinds of glue. Kids use copious amounts of glue in school! We got squeezable school glue, disappearing purple glue sticks, and 3D washable glitter paint pens for fun projects. To store it all, we picked up some Elmer’s pencil boxes.

Helene and I traveled back to Woodland and had fun putting together the backpacks of school goodies. She mentioned how important it is that students see the beginning of school as a “sparkling moment.” For students whose families are in need, a bag of school supplies is a huge boost towards their school success! As students came and went, I observed the heart and spirit of her work first-hand. Every child that passed by was greeted by name, with a smile and often a hug! The students clearly love Helene and she loves them in return!

The highlight of my day was when the two students were called in to get their surprise bags! It was so cute to see the little kindergartener get excited about her Tinkerbell folder, and the 6th grade boy was pleased with his Nascar backpack and super heroes items! I kind of stood by in wonder that such a little thing could make their day, and has the potential to shape their feelings about the upcoming school year. If I have even a small part of that school success, then I am truly grateful.

I’d like to thank Elmer’s Glue for making this donation possible. And thanks to Helene for opening her heart and her school and working with me to make this donation really personal!

DISCLOSURE: This project has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Elmer’s #bagitforward #collectivebias.