Backpacks and School Supplies for Needy Kids

The Bad News:

The bad news is that we have plenty of opportunities to help those less fortunate than we are.  From school bombings to tornadoes, from cancer to poverty, something occurring in the world right now tugs at our heartstrings and prompts us to leap to action.

The Good News:

The good news is that a lot of us really do take that leap. Maybe you send $10 to your favorite charity or you volunteer your time or talents at a homeless shelter or food pantry. Whatever it is you do, people need and will appreciate your help.

As I write this, most children are enjoying their last couple of weeks of school. In the next few weeks, summer will bring vacations, sun, heat, beaches, picnics, and fun. But before too long, Summer will be over and kids will head back to school. 

Unfortunately, a lot of those kids will have no school supplies or backpacks. And that's when GET YOUR BACKPACK ON steps up to help. According to founder, Karen Zigrossi, "GYBO is dedicated to helping children start their school year with all the supplies they need to succeed! We fill backpacks with supplies and drop them off at local schools for distribution."

As a single mom who raised three children, Karen knew the struggles of single parenting. What prompted her to organize her nonprofit corporation, Get Your Backpack On, was an incident that occurred a decade and a half ago. In Karen's words, "One incident in particular has stuck with me. It has to be over 15 years ago, and I was dropping my son off at grade school on the first day. I saw a mom pull up and walk up to the school with her little boy and he was carrying a brown grocery bag. I knew that bag contained whatever supplies she could afford. That was the first time I thought about putting together backpacks for kids that didn't have one. I have thought about it every year since, but thinking about changing something doesn't change anything, so now is when I start doing something."

Can you help? Get Your Backpack On is giving you even more incentive to donate, because GYBO is giving away a "previously owned" Dell that was donated to GYBO. The Dell is loaded with Apache Office Works, which includes programs similar to and compatible with Microsoft Word, Excel, Power Point and Draw. It also comes installed with Google Chrome.

For each dollar donated or for each Facebook "share," you will have your name entered once into the drawing.  GYBO will draw a winner on July 1, 2013! Your chances of winning depend on the number of people who donate.

Get Your Backpack On has donated to numerous schools in Kankakee County, IL, including BBCHS, Bradley East, Bradley West, Central, King, and Kennedy. In 2013, they are adding Bourbonnais, Manteno, and Pembroke schools to their list. Last year, GYBO's first year, Karen was able to provide nearly 35 filled backpacks to local schools. This year she hopes to double her previous year. 

YOU CAN HELP!

Contact / Donation Information:

Get Your Backpack On, Inc.

c/o Karen Zigrossi

724 Stockton Hts. Dr. 

Bourbonnais, IL 60914

Phone: 815-932-2359

Email: GetYourBackpckOn@aol.com