Families, children invited to annual Project Backpack at ECC

Backpacks, pencils, notebooks and other school supplies will be given to hundreds of area students in need during the Project Backpack Back-to-School Supply Fair on Saturday, Aug. 12, at Elgin Community College. The event, part of a community initiative by ECC and other organizations, will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Spartan Events Center, Building J, 1700 Spartan Drive, Elgin.

"In the eight years that we have been holding Project Backpack at ECC, we have distributed more than 10,000 backpacks filled with school supplies, which has been an amazing experience," said Amybeth Maurer, director of orientation and student life. "The highlight of the event is watching each child carefully select their backpack, put it on, and confidently leave with a huge smile on their face. That is permanently etched on my heart."

Students who provide proof of residency or enrollment in any District 509 school (districts U-46, 300, 301 and 303), including ECC, are eligible to receive supplies. Recipients are asked to bring a medical card, school registration form, report card or birth certificate to the event. To verify if you are a District 509 resident, visit www.elgin.edu/residency.

Backpacks are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis, and there is a limit of one backpack per eligible student. Each backpack will include:

• Six two-pocket, solid-color folders;

• Four one-subject, wide-rule, solid-color spiral notebooks;

• One pack of loose-leaf, wide-rule filler paper;

• One package of 10-count standard No. 2 pencils;

• Two black pens;

• One pair of scissors;

• Two glue sticks;

• One ruler;

• One 24-pack of crayons

Also, volunteers are needed to help fill backpacks with supplies on Wednesday, Aug. 9 and Thursday, Aug. 10. Visit www.Project-Backpack.org to register as a volunteer.

Monetary donations continue to be accepted for Project Backpack. Cash or check donations can be made payable to the ECC Foundation, 1700 Spartan Drive, Elgin, IL 60123. For checks, please include "Project Backpack" in the memo line. To make a donation online, visit www.elgin.edu/eccfoundation, select "Make a Donation," select "Other" when designating the gift, and type "Project Backpack."

For more information about ECC's Project Backpack School Supply Fair, visit www.Project-Backpack.org or contact Megan Highland, student life coordinator for community outreach and leadership programs, at (847) 214-7659, or mhighland@elgin.edu. For more information in Spanish, call (847) 888-5000, ext. 4211.

Community sponsors include: the ECC Faculty Association, ECCP3, Community Crisis Center of Elgin, Kane County Regional Office of Education, Kane County Teachers Credit Union, Elgin Area School District U-46, and United Way of Elgin.