Although we have just officially celebrated the start of summer, the new school year is right around the corner! Southwire looks forward to supporting local students during the 14th annual Back to School (BTS) event on Saturday, July 14th from 9:00 a.m. until noon. The event will be held in Southwire’s corporate parking lot – One Southwire Drive – Carrollton, Georgia.
Southwire’s Project GIFT (Giving Inspiration For Tomorrow) is a volunteer initiative which was developed by Southwire employees in 2005 and which continues to support the Carrollton community and all of Southwire’s surrounding communities through: raising funds for worthwhile causes, working on beautification efforts for the local community, lending a hand to those facing tough times, or ensuring children are prepared for school.
Southwire’s BTS event has proven successful for over a decade and now serves students in communities around the globe.
“Southwire’s Project GIFT has been hosting the west Georgia Back to School supply giveaway since 2004, so this will be our fourteenth year. However, Back to School has grown outside of the west Georgia area, and, now, Southwire has 22 other communities in which we will be distributing school supplies in 2018. In total, we will give away more than 22,000 bags of supplies across the Southwire footprint this year,” said Kristian Whittington, manager of employee engagement and communication and Project GIFT coordinator. “Our goal is to provide a few basic school supplies to as many children as possible, in hopes of taking at least a small piece of the financial burden off parents as they help their children get ready for a new school year. We know that the required school supply lists are getting longer each year, and we can’t meet every single need, but even if we can help in a small way, we believe that can make a difference.”
Attendees will receive up to three bags of school supplies per family, unless all children within that family are present. The Back to School event is free and open to residents of the Carroll County and all surrounding communities. The supplies will be provided on a first come, first serve basis, so there are no guarantees to receive school supplies. This year’s school supplies will be given out in drawstring, reusable canvas bags in order to continue to support Southwire’s sustainability efforts.
“Each year, we give out more than 5,000 bags of free school supplies to children across west Georgia and into east Alabama. Last year, we had students in attendance that represented more than 175 different schools across these areas, so we believe that the need is still strong, and hopefully we’re helping to meet some of it,” said Whittington. “The school supply bags are separated into kindergarten-to-third-grade bags and fourth-to-twelfth grade bags, but we don’t turn any students away! We also do not limit to specific counties, so all families with children are welcome to come and pick up supplies. We do limit each family to a maximum of three bags of supplies unless all children are present the day of the event. This is so we can ensure we are able to help as many families as possible throughout the event.”
This year, Delores the Back to School Owl has randomly placed Copper Eggs inside 10 Back to School supply bags. This new element will allow attendees the opportunity to instantly win $100 in additional school supplies or the chance to win the Grand Prize of $500 to shop for brand new school clothes with a Project GIFT team member. All attendees will have an equal opportunity to win a Copper Egg, so it will not depend on what time they arrive at the event.
Along with the the chance to win several giveaways through the many raffles at the event, attendees can also expect to see several vendors that will be providing family-friendly activities and valuable information about their services.
“Some of these vendors include Wal-Mart with free eye screenings, Walgreens with complimentary dental hygiene items, the Optimist Club with free fingerprinting for child ID kits, and a host of other booths. We will even have Six Flags out raffling off family 4-packs of tickets. West Georgia Technical College will also be hosting our “My Favorite Teacher Is…” contest, where one lucky teacher will win $1,500 to go towards classroom supplies,” said Whittington.
Southwire has a list of monetary and in-kind donors; however, they are always accepting more donors! Project GIFT is an IRS-recognized non-profit organization 501(c)3, so all donations are tax-deductible. For more information on how to become a donor, please call a Project GIFT coordinator at (770) 832-4729 or email [email protected]
The Back to School event will be located in the Southwire Corporate Parking area. Parking attendants will be present to help direct traffic throughout the event. Handicapped parking will also be available. There is no registration or paperwork required to attend the Back to School event.
