Help equip students for the 2014-15 school year
When the 2014-15 school year opens on Aug. 4, low-income children in West Maui will need classroom supplies.
Thankfully, Central Pacific Bank this month is collecting school supplies and monetary donations at branches statewide as part of the Ready to Learn program.
Managed by Helping Hands Hawaii, Ready to Learn provides more than 10,000 needy Hawaii children with new classroom supplies at the start of each school year.
“It is essential that children return to school with the tools needed for them to learn and excel,” said John C. Dean of Central Pacific Bank. “We are proud to partner with Helping Hands Hawaii for a sixth consecutive year to help the less fortunate children in Hawaii who cannot afford to buy their own school supplies.”
All school supply donations are welcome, including crayons, scissors, notebooks, portfolios, folder paper, erasers, No. 2 pencils, glue, calculators, rulers, composition books and backpacks.
Or, simply donate $10 to purchase a backpack filled with all the items needed to prepare a student for the new school year.
School supplies and monetary donations collected at Maui Central Pacific Bank branches will remain on the island. For information, call (808) 544-0500 or 1-(800) 342-8422, or visit www.centralpacificbank.com.
These donations are very important to the school kids.
“In addition to the tangible impact of having school supplies on the first day of school, the provision of school supplies to youth struggling with poverty has the kind of invisible impact that we wish donors could see – it changes the child’s psyche, helps them gain confidence, and lessens the unfortunate shame that comes from not having enough, said Jan Harada, president and CEO of Helping Hands Hawaii.
“You can’t put a dollar value on that kind of impact -it’s priceless.”