Recognizing the urgent need to stop talking about the problem described in this students Instagram post and do something, the Bookbag Movement was established as a personal effort to simply provide back-to-school supplies for a few students in one of Atlanta’s most impoverished areas. For the past 18 years the Bookbag Movement showed up on the same corner in the same West Atlanta neighborhood to pass out school supplies to more than 200 kids. The effort grew from an individual, to family and friends, then to co-workers and now we are expanding to reach more students in need.
After serving in Atlanta for 16 years, in the summer of 2018 an urgent request was received from Janice E. Dismus Middle School in Englewood, NJ. We mobilized and shipped bookbags filled with the requested supplies.
Principal Lamarr Thomas wrote, “I want to thank you for considering the need of children who may be less fortunate than others and for sending these resources in a timely manner so that ALL of our students can start with their school supplies intact.”
Shipping was comparatively expensive and last year we were able to mobilize volunteers in New Jersey to replicate our process. We sent funds to purchase supplies significantly increasing the number of students served by avoiding shipping costs.
We’ve all heard the saying each one teach one. Well, the idea is that standing on the shoulders of those who came before us we’ve all done well enough to pay it forward in a bigger way. We believe each one of us can reach 10, how about that? Let 10 students in need lean on you for a school year. Even if you can only pay for one book bag, it’s amazing what impact that contribution will have on the success of a student.