News & Photos
UNITED WAY PREPARES NAPIER ELEMENTARY FOR ‘BACK-TO-SCHOOL’ SUCCESS
August 12, 2011NASHVILLE, Tenn., Aug. 11, 2011—The school bell is set to ring in the 2011-2012 year, and more than 435 students in one of Nashville’s neediest schools are more prepared than ever for success.
Every student at Napier Elementary School started off on the right foot today when they received backpacks filled with school supplies from United Way of Metropolitan Nashville. More than 50 volunteers handed out the backpacks, giving the students a leg-up on the school year.
Each teacher at Napier Elementary – a total of 36 – also received a resources kit containing teacher supplies, information on the United Way’s Family Resource Centers, 2-1-1 Helpline tips, and other helpful information to further prepare students for success in one of the city’s neediest schools.
“As schools across the city and throughout the country get back in session, we wanted to make sure that students in one of the hardest hits schools in Nashville starts a new chapter in the school year by hitting the ground running,” said Ken Harms, president of the Mid-South District of UPS, who serves on the United Way board of trustees.
UPS delivered truckloads of the backpacks and teacher kits to the school on Tuesday.
This is the second event in as many weeks that United Way banded together with volunteers from across the city to ensure that Nashville’s neediest students were prepared for school.
On July 29, United Way held a “Stuff the Bus” Day of Action at McGruder Family Resource Center, where more than 200 volunteers prepared 2,600 backpacks with more than 25,000 critical school supplies for 48 United Way Family Resource Centers and Partner Agencies.
During the event, United Way announced that its Read to Succeed program prepared more than 200 kindergartners from some of Nashville’s toughest neighborhoods ready to read. For the first time since the program was launched seven years ago, 99% of the participants are entering kindergarten with the basic reading skills needed to make a successful scholastic start. It is the third consecutive year that the program delivered near-perfect readiness.
Families who wish to take advantage of the school supplies can find the list of agencies on United Way’s website at www.unitedwaynashville.org/calendar/event/stuffthebusdelivery.
About United Way of Metropolitan Nashville
United Way of Metropolitan Nashville helps greater Nashville realize its goals of building a great community for everyone through improving education, financial stability and health. United Way’s impact is at work every hour of every day all across the community addressing needs important to all Nashvillians. The extended impact of what United Way does reaches far beyond what any of us can imagine today. Through its initiatives such as Read to Succeed, 2-1-1 Helpline, Volunteer Income Tax Assistance, and Restore The Dream case management delivered at 17 neighborhood locations across Nashville, United Way magnifies the energy and resources of its supporters to enhance the entire community. United together, we can inspire hope and create opportunities for a better tomorrow. That’s what it means to Live United. Give. Advocate. Volunteer. For additional information, visit www.unitedwaynashville.org.
