MEDIA ADVISORY
for Monday, July 17, 2006


School Communities Donate Tons of School Supplies for Children in Need

July 17th Celebration Marks End of Summertime Drive

ROCKVILLE, MD— Students, staff, and members of the community have donated nearly three tons of used, but usable, school supplies in the annual Drive for Supplies, sponsored by Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) and Learn Shop, Inc.

School and community leaders will celebrate the completion of another successful drive on Monday, July 17, at 10:00 a.m. at Rockville High School, 2100 Baltimore Road.

This year, 41 schools, along with several MCPS offices, participated in the program. More than 100 student volunteers have collected and sorted the supplies, which include pencils, rulers, paper, notebooks, crayons, scissors, markers, dictionaries, and more.

Drive for Supplies is a collaborative effort between Learn Shop, Inc., and MCPS. The program not only teaches students the importance of recycling and reducing landfill waste, but also teaches students that they can have a direct impact on communities by giving their reusable school supplies to local, national, and international schools and organizations.

Drive for Supplies was conceived in 1999 by Kevin and Louise Newcomer, founders of Learn Shop, Inc., a nonprofit organization based in Wheaton, Maryland. Each year since its inception, the program has been expanded. Last year, with a renewed emphasis on recycling, MCPS collected more than 9,000 pounds of supplies.

The collected supplies will be distributed locally to nearly 20 nonprofit agencies, county schools with a high number of low-income students, and needy schools in Washington, D.C. In addition, supplies also will be sent to needy children in several foreign countries, including Nicaragua and Ecuador.

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