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Sunday afternoon coloring with Maya
It has been a long time since I have spent any time coloring, but the other Sunday afternoon, my two-year-old granddaughter Maya wanted to color. Excited to color with her, I went and dug out some old school supplies and found a package of colored pencils. As I sat with Maya drawing flowers and coloring in stars, she would point to a colored pencil, and I would tell her the color. She would then repeat “green," "blue," “purple," or “pink” in her sweet little voice, saying, "You color Mimi." It’s times like this I wish I could make the world slow down to savor the simple things like coloring, lazy summer Sunday afternoons, and teachable moments.
As July ends with a week of sweltering heat, more like a lion than a lamb, it is hard to believe that summer will be turning to fall very soon. In a few weeks, all of the County Fairs and Town Celebration will be done for this year, the State Fair will signal the official end of summer, and school will begin. In the blink of an eye, it will be Maya getting ready for her first day of school with a new backpack full of fresh school supplies.
Those colored pencils in a cup reminded me of a line from one of my favorite movies (You’ve Got Mail) “I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils.” Every student should have a “bouquet” of new school supplies as they embark on a new school year to feel confident and ready to thrive. That is why the Stuff the Bus School Supply drive is so important.
It may seem relatively simple to grab a couple of extra notebooks or a box of crayons and make the donation, but the impact that donation will have on a child’s life is amazing. Our annual drive is now underway with local workplace internal drives as well as public drop-off sites throughout our service area. I look forward to seeing these efforts come together in August when the donations will be collected, and volunteers arrive to sort and distribute them to 22 local schools.
Each school determines its distribution process to ensure the supplies reach the students who need them. Supplies will be sorted and distributed on August 24th to the schools. Those needing supplies should contact their school beginning August 25th for details regarding distribution. This initiative distributed over 56,000 school supplies in August 2022 to nearly 3,000 K - 12 students at 22 local schools.
Do you want to make a difference in a child’s life and help them prepare for school? Please consider donating school supplies at one of our drop-off locations. If you are unable to donate supplies but would like to contribute financially, you may mail checks to: United Way of SWMN, P.O. Box 41, Marshall, MN 56258. Please note “Stuff the Bus” on the memo line. For a list of donation sites or to donate online, please visit www.unitedwayswmn.org/STB. Financial donations are accepted year-round for this initiative, allowing us to purchase school supplies in bulk at a low cost.
For more information about your local United Way, please visit www.unitedwayswmn.org.
United Way of Southwest Minnesota is an autonomous, local organization working to create lasting change in people's lives and the communities we serve in Lincoln, Lyon, Murray, Yellow Medicine, and portions of Cottonwood, Lac qui Parle, Nobles, and Redwood counties of Minnesota.
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