Boys & Girls Clubs of America Launches Tools For Back-to-School Campaign

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Aug 01, 2012, 08:05 ET

Online Supply Drive Gives Public a Fun, Easy Way to Help Kids Succeed in School

ATLANTA, Aug. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Boys & Girls Clubs of America is launching a national campaign to make sure kids have all the tools they need to do well in school. An exciting online supply drive and partner promotions will generate needed funds, and school supplies for thousands of Boys & Girls Club youth. A dynamic advocacy event will raise awareness about all the things kids need for academic success, including quality after-school programs to support and reinforce what they learn in school.

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"Going back to school is not just about the supplies – which are important – it's also about having a fun, safe place to go after the bell rings to continue learning and growing," said Jim Clark, president and CEO, Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

Now through September, the public can help BGCA reach its goal of putting thousands of school supplies in the hands of Boys & Girls Club members by visiting www.greatfutures.org/backtoschool. The Tools for Back-to-School Supply Drive is a fun, pop-quiz style game sponsored by BGCA's longtime partner Disney. Every correct answer results in a donation.

In mid-August, a national back-to-school kick-off event will take over Union Square in New York City, hosted by Boys & Girls Clubs of America and presenting partner, jcpenney. Youth performances, celebrity appearances and giveaways will energize young people as they prepare for a great school year.

The annual back-to-school campaign's goal is to educate the public about the role community-based Boys & Girls Clubs play in supporting academic success for youth during the critical out-of-school hours. While millions of American youth fail to graduate from high school each year, the truth is that many of them are falling behind before they even get started. They need supplies, like pens and paper, as well as the support and enrichment that Boys & Girls Clubs offer.

"By providing kids with dynamic after-school programming overseen by trained, caring adults, Boys & Girls Clubs help kids develop all the tools important to achieving academic success and, ultimately, great futures," said Clark.

For more than 150 years, Boys & Girls Clubs have supplied kids with safe places and positive activities, and helped them develop the creativity and confidence they need to succeed in school and in life. Boys & Girls Clubs of America's vision is to assure success is within reach of every young person who enters the doors of a Club, with all members on track to graduate from high school with a plan for the future.

More than a dozen corporate partners are supporting the Tools for Back-to-School campaign, including jcpenney, AT&T, Amway, Staples, Disney Stores and Radio Disney. The public will have opportunities to contribute to school supply drives at events and retail locations across the country, as well as through in-store and online promotions.

For more information about how to support Boys & Girls Clubs of America's Tools for Back-to-School campaign this season, visit www.greatfutures.org.

About Boys & Girls Clubs of America
For more than 100 years, Boys & Girls Clubs of America (GreatFutures.org) has enabled young people most in need to achieve great futures as productive, caring, responsible citizens. Today, some 4,000 Boys & Girls Clubs serve nearly 4 million children and teens through Club membership and community outreach. Clubs are located in cities, towns, public housing and on Native American lands throughout the country, and serve military families in BGCA-affiliated Youth Centers on U.S. military installations worldwide. Clubs provide a safe place, caring adult mentors, fun and friendship, and high-impact youth development programs on a daily basis during critical non-school hours. Priority programs emphasize academic success, good character and citizenship, and healthy lifestyles. In a Harris Survey of alumni, 57 percent said the Club saved their lives. National headquarters are located in Atlanta. Learn more at bgca.org/facebook and bgca.org/twitter.

SOURCE Boys & Girls Clubs of America