School supply drive aims to help local and WV students

The Bartholomew County School Supply Assistance Program is asking for your help in providing school supplies to over 2,000 children in Bartholomew County. In addition, the BCSSAP is working with local residents and West Virginia natives, Tina O’Dell and Rob Smith, to collect contributions for areas severely affected by the recent disastrous flooding in West Virginia. All contributions will support both efforts.

Diane Doup, the community outreach coordinator for the Lincoln-Central Nighborhood Family Center, says that financial donations are preferred, as they enable the committee to make bulk purchases. She explains that tax-deductible cash, check or money order donations can be made payable and sent to Sans Souci, 1526 13th Street, Columbus, IN 47201. You are asked to please list “School Supplies” in the memo area. You may also donate online at www.bcssap.org.

Doup, who says that Bartholomew County residents know the pain and devastation caused by flood waters. She says that West Virginia is grappling with wide-spread destruction. With that, Doup says that contributions to BCSSAP will help schools in Clay, Greenbrier, Kanawha, and Nicholas counties, which have approximately 3,000 students. She says that the need in these four counties is especially great because many businesses who have provided school supplies to this area’s low-income families have also been destroyed.

Doup says that last year’s effort provided over 2,300 students in Bartholomew County with free school supplies.

The 2016 Bartholomew County School Supply Assistance Program members are: Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation, Columbus Sunrise Rotary, Community Center of Hope, Council for Youth Development, Cummins, Inc., Family Self-Sufficiency, Lincoln-Central Neighborhood Family Center, Sans Souci, Su Casa, United Way, 2-1-1 & Volunteer Action Center.

For more information, visit www.bcssap.org or call the Lincoln-Central Neighborhood Family Center at (812) 379-1630.