 Meet Anna and Alex Sebastian of Tinley Park. They picked up sticks and weeds in their grandmother’s back yard after a rainstorm this summer. Their grandmother, Karen Regnier of Midlothian, gave them each a dollar for their labor. Then their mother Sandy, a kindergarten teacher in Country Club Hills, suggested Anna, 8, and Alex, 5, use the money to buy school supplies for Together We Cope’s annual Back-to-School drive that equips needy youngsters for their return to the classroom every fall. Anna purchased two notebooks, and Alex bought a 12-pack of erasers.
They were the littlest givers to this year’s Back-to-School campaign. There also were big givers to this year’s effort, which delivered backpacks and supplies to nearly 1,200 students. Harris Bank, for example, sponsored the Back-to-School Bash, a party in TWC’s parking lot that featured food, music and games – all free to area youngsters. Sunstar International donated 1,200 GUM Crayola timer toothbrushes, and Indian Trails Telephone Pioneers financed the purchase of 65 backpacks. Members of Loyola Employees Credit Union donated food and school supplies, and Scholastic Books sent us 500 new books.
And, as always, hundreds of individuals and many local businesses made contributions of all sizes to help their neighbors bridge the gap during hard times. |
