Leadership program collects supplies for school kids

By RORY MOORE

Tiger Media Network

The annual BackPACK the Pool drive was hosted by Leadership Hays on Thursday at the Hays Aquatic Park to encourage attendees to donate school supplies for Ellis County students in conjunction with First Call for Help’s Backpack for Kids program. Families dropped off items as they entered the park for a free swim night that coincided with the event.

Leadership Hays organized the effort to task its members with a community service-based project inspired by First Call’s endeavors. 

“We came up with the idea of helping First Call with the backpack project they do at the beginning of the school year,” said Adriana Luna, a Vyve broadband inventory control specialist. “It’s for all schools in general. The supplies will help to fill the backpacks for the kids, and they will give them out to the students at the beginning of the school year.”

Vyve, as well as other area employers, assisted in providing for the cause.

“We set out a donation box at the front lobby,” Luna said. “For donations, we promoted a lot: advertisements, radio ads, whatever we could do to get donations. If people couldn’t make it to the pool, they were able to drop off donations at certain locations [around town].”

The class in Leadership Hays chose to host the event at the Hays Aquatic Park to bring more attention to their goal, as families entered and noticed the supplies.

“We wanted to focus on something fun for kids to do,” said Ali Colwell, Leadership Hays member and Fort Hays Student Engagement assistant director. “The pool is an easy thing that everyone loves to come to, so that’s why we chose to have it there. We’re collecting school supplies to help kids with the transition between all the schools, and it’s been a fun experience.”

Not only did BackPACK the Pool help school students, but it also helped program members develop their skills as providers.

“It helps bring the community together,” Colwell said. “It helps us figure out our resources in the community and work together with people we don’t know.  You figure out what people’s strengths are and who’s good at what. For kids coming to the pool, I feel like it’s something fun for the community to come together and help each other.”