The Torgerson Team at Keller Williams Realty is sponsoring its first Back-to-School Supply Drive.
For the month of July, The Torgerson Team will be collecting donations of school supplies on students’ and teachers’ wish lists.
Desired items include sticky notes, EXPO markers, dry erase board cleaner, Kleenex, highlighters, pens, Clorox and Lysol wipes, paper, hand sanitizer, binder clips, pencils, Sharpie pens and paper clips. These supplies will be distributed to local teachers and students in time for the new school year.
“Many local families are struggling to make ends meet, and some of them are unable to provide the basic school supplies their children need,” says Nathan Torgerson, leader of The Torgerson Team at Keller Williams Realty. “In addition, schools across the country, and just outside our door, are facing budget cuts and lack the funding to purchase the necessary supplies.”
Often, the burden of purchasing necessary classroom items falls on educators, Torgerson says. According to The Education Market Association, almost every teacher pays for supplies out of his or her pocket.
In 2015, most teachers spent nearly $500 on supplies for their students, and one in 10 spent $1,000 or more. Nationwide, $1.6 billion in school supply costs fell onto teachers themselves due to families who could not afford them or school districts that did not allocate the funds for them.
“This is an important project on many levels. We hope Chattanooga will come together to help families who are struggling to feed and clothe their children and can’t stretch their budget to include school supplies,” Torgerson says. “And not only that but come together to help our local educators, who are spending their own money to equip their classrooms and supplement the needs of their students.”
Donations may be dropped off at the front desk of Keller Williams Realty Downtown, 202 Manufacturers Rd., between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday through the end of July.
Information: www.thetorgersonteam.com.
Source: The Torgerson Team