You want to #BagItForward for children in your community? You can’t go wrong with donating supplies from this Basic School List:

* Elmer’s Washable School Glue Sticks (at least three for the year)
* Elmer’s Washable School Glue (4 ounce or larger bottle)
* Pens
* Crayola Colored Pencils
* Crayola Crayons (24 count or more)
* Markers (10 count or more)
* #2 Pencils
* Erasers
* Pencil Sharpener (make sure it’s hand-held with a shavings collector)
* Scissors (blunt ended for younger kids, pointed for others)
* Notebooks (spiral-bound or composition. Minimum 72 count sheets)
* Loose-leaf notebook paper (Wide-ruled)
* Pocket Folders (with brads. Minimum of four)
* Ruler (English and Metric)
* Pencil Box
* Backpack

Ideas on making #BagItForward even more fun:
* Gather your friends and have a School Supplies drive! Everyone can bring 10+ items.
* Buy the list above and give to a school counselor or teacher. They will ensure it gets in the hands of the child who needs it.
* Buy 10 (or more) of one school supply item and donate them to a local children’s shelter.
* Surprise a neighbor by leaving a bag of school supplies on their porch with the tag “You’ve Been Bagged!”
* Ask your teacher what supplies he/she needs for the classroom and buy that.
* Host a favorite things party where each attendee brings five of their favorite school supplies to donate to a local school.
* Share your experience on Facebook/Twitter/Pinterest to spread the word about how you got involved with #BagItForward. Encourage others to do the same to help kids in their community.
* Visit ChampionsForKids.org/Simple and share your #BagItForward donation experience so that your involvement can be counted as helping the life of a child.

I was very excited to visit with Cheyenne to talk to her about her vision, motivation and inspiration for the huge event. Obviously, being a sophomore, you might think she’s a newbie to events and fundraising, yet she’s actually been an avid community volunteer and event planner with her mother for years! Check out the interview below and see what this inspirational young lady had to say about the event, the planning process and how you can host your own #BagItForward- style event.

What inspired you to plan the Back to School Bash? Why do you care about providing school supplies to children in your community?

I’ve seen my mom put on several community events and have helped her out with those. I decided I wanted to host my own event, and I told my mom I wanted to put on a carnival because I’ve helped with her carnivals. But I wanted to do something different. I wanted to also help kids get school supplies, so I decided my event would be called the Back to School Bash.

When did you start planning for the event?

Initial planning began that summer and kicked into high gear in November 2011 when my 15-person committee was formed. My vision had it’s first “big breaks” when through networking I secured a great event location and the event was also featured in the local newspaper. That was really exciting! I also secured my first local business sponsorship soon after that.

I realized that this is not a hand out or just free stuff for these kids. This is an investment in a child’s life, providing them with the school supplies they need to be confident. I hope my event really inspires others to get involved, whether in a big or small way. Everyone can help their local community by donating basic school supplies to kids and teachers.

What have you learned during the planning process? Any surprises?
Throughout this process, I’ve been most surprised by all of the community support. I didn’t really think about all the sponsors and everything. I didn’t think about all of the things it takes. It’s been quite an experience, and I definitely would not be able to do all of this without my mom, and also Tom, a local community volunteer and the provider of all of our carnival games for the event.

I’ve learned a lot, like the importance of speaking up on what I want, but also considering ideas from everyone on my committee. I’ve learned to listen to my elders because they know what they’re talking about. I’ve learned that it’s important to make sure that you have the final draft of the documents before distributing them.

August will be here before you know it. What are you looking forward to the most?

I’m excited to see how everything turns out. I want the kids to be excited about it, and I want them to have fun, but I hope they are also excited about getting the school supplies as prizes. They are used to getting candy and stuffed animals, and I’m a little nervous about that, but I think it will turn out well. We will learn a lot this year and will be able to make next year even bigger with more sponsors and attendees. I’m looking forward to planning for the next event already!

How would you recommend other people create their own Back to School Bash/School Supplies drive? What are the steps?

Even though it’s hard work, people shouldn’t be scared to host their own event. Kids everywhere need school supplies. I’d say just go for it! For more ideas on how you can #BagItForward, click here.

Here is a blueprint to plan your own Back to School Bash:
1. Define your Goal: I set out to host a carnival for 500 kids that would provide them with school supplies. What is your goal and how many children do you aim to help?
Network: Reach out to people who you know could help with the event. Rally people and refine your goal.
Form a Committee: The committee will help you build the event plan and move forward with brainstorming, networking and counsel.

2. Determine Resources: What are the resources you’ll need to pull the event off. We gathered a local school supply list and headed to Walmart to price everything so we would know how much money we would need to raise.

3. Hold Committee Meetings: Lead Committee meetings as frequently as needed to push-forward planning and gather advice.

4. Get Sponsors: Reach out to local business, churches, and people you know about becoming asponsor and pitch your event in person and follow-up via email.

5. Update Event Plan: Continuously update your event plan and resource list so that you know what you have and still need to make the event a success.

6. Secure Event Space: Do this as soon as possible. It helps to have a network, but think of places that might help you with hosting the event, such as an event hall, church, park, parking lot with tents, etc.

7. Mobilize Volunteer Team: Recruit volunteers including friends, family members and community members. Ask them to provide their contact information especially if the event will be taking place before school starts back up. I reached out to all the clubs at my high school and got their support to volunteer to help the day of the event.

8. Promote the Event: Determine how much publicity you want. If resources are limited, try to find the right amount of publicity so you don’t have to turn people away. Local businesses and schools may be willing to provide you with some space in their monthly newsletters and flyers, or bulletin boards. Local newspapers may also feature your story.

Congrats! You’re close to joining thousands of Champions in the Bag it Forward Challenge! Since 2010, Champions, like you, have been empowering others to achieve their dreams one school year at a time. All this is taking place through a very simple act: buying one bag of school supplies for your family, and providing one bag (or many more!) to others in need. Join the Bag it Forward movement this year and help your local community and beyond! Stay tuned for more details at bagitforward.org

As students head back to school this fall, many will head out to shop for brand new, shiny school supplies. But some will not have the resources they need to be successful. That’s where you and Elmer’s come in. This year, let’s join together and Bag It Forward, by picking up an extra bag of school supplies and donating it locally in your community.

This summer, Elmer’s is teaming up with bloggers across the country to kickoff the Bag it Forward movement. These bloggers are gathering school supply bags for families, organizations and teachers, and encouraging others to join in. In addition, Elmer’s is donating one product for every “Like” on the Elmer’s Facebook page to the Kids In Need foundation, and an additional item for every view the video on the Kids In Need tab receives.

Join us in the #BagItForward movement and give someone you know a bag of school supplies! Together we can make a difference.

If your family homeschools, chances are you’ve just started a new school year or you’re preparing to begin after Labor Day. In additional to what’s needed at home, your children may have supply lists from a co-op or other outside classes.

Your shopping trip for those items is the perfect time to collect Bag it Forward supplies.

One day per week our family participates in Classical Conversations, a classical-model program for homeschoolers. I tutor (teach) a high school class. To get to know each other better and prep for the upcoming school year, the tutors recently had a sleepover.

Of the fourteen women who attended, three have husbands who are currently unemployed or only have part-time work. A family whose son attends my class is in the same situation. Thanks to supplies that have been given to me for the Bag it Forward program, our family was able to put together four bags of school supplies to donate to these families.

If your family can’t afford a complete second set of supplies, that’s okay; every little bit helps.

I hope that our family’s Bag it Forward story will give you ideas for helping others in your local homeschool group or community. Believe me, both your family and those you help will be blessed by it.

Submitted by Dawn Camp

As a former classroom teacher, I know that most parents care deeply about their child’s success in school.  And most teachers want their students to reach their goals, too.

Too often, though, we wait to develop a relationship with the educator until there is a challenge.  And at that point the conversation more easily devolves into an adversarial relationship: who did what wrong?

You can partner with your child’s teacher for back to school success by establishing a sense of teamwork early on in the school year.

• Introduce yourself to the teacher during the first week of school either with a quick phone call or a short note.  This is just a short greeting to let the teacher know that you are interested in supporting the teacher’s work with your child.  Forward the teacher a card with your child’s name, your name, your phone number, and your e-mail address, and a short note communicating that the teacher should feel to contact you at any time.
• If your child has an IEP, make sure that you have the most recent copy and that teachers have the pertinent information from the IEP.  IEPs must be accessible to classroom teachers but in many districts they are not distributed to the teacher due to confidentiality concerns.  If this is the case, you may wish to notify the district that you will provide a copy to each teacher or to highlight relevant portions.
• Share your child’s learning style with the teacher in a positive way but keep in mind that your child may experience the classroom differently than he does the home. Let the teacher know that you find at home your child needs a few extra seconds or a pen and pad to write out an answer before responding to questions but then allow the teacher, your child, and the other students to find their own rhythm together.
• Try to attend “Back-to-School” night but save any larger areas of concern for a parent-teacher conference.  This is an opportunity to match faces with names and to learn about the class.
• Make sure that you are receiving any communications your teacher is sending home.  Let your child know that if he or she runs into any difficulties at school that you will help solve them but that if they are hiding information you cannot help and your child will lose your trust.
• Contact the teacher at your first concern.  Approach the teacher as a partner (which will be easier if you said “hello” in the beginning of the year).  Discuss ways you can better support your child’s learning.  Have your child show you his assignment book and check in with your child as he works on long-term assignments.
• Remember that you have a one, possibly several kids in the class but a high school teacher may see 150 or more students a day.  If you need to check-up on assignments, rather than then demanding the teacher e-mail you at regular intervals, schedule a reminder to yourself to contact the teacher.  Let him know that you have not seen a quiz grade in a few weeks or that your child says there has not been an essay assigned and ask him to verify if that information is correct.
• Encourage your child to work towards age-appropriate independence and resist the urge to always save her from her own mistakes.  Identify areas for which your child can be responsible: a kindergartner must remember his backpack, an elementary school students should write down assignments in a notepad, a high school students should be able to meet long-term deadlines with a minimal amount of reminders.  Discuss expectations and provide plenty of practice, building towards eventual independence.

Start off on the right foot and you and your child’s teacher will be able to work together as a team.

Submitted by Candace Lindemann

I did my shopping and whrrl and blog posts for the Bag it Forward campaign. At the time I did my shopping, which included grabbing a few things here and there along the way over the course of a few weeks, I really didn’t have a child or family in mind. I approached there families during that time but they had either already purchased supplies or their school sold kits and they had purchased those.

I simply took the list for kindergarten and doubled it so that I could give to a child in one of the classes (there are 3)

Last night as I came rolling in from after another day at the baseball park I was beat down. Not only was I exhausted from the sun, the driving and the pile of laundry in my family room floor, I was behind on a few columns and needed to just catch up. However, my mom said that my son had cried for me the night before. This kid has never been a momma’s boy, preferring my mom to me any time. But, he was with her while I was gone and was upset because I wasn’t home yet.

When he arrived home last night, he wanted to sit in my lap, hug on me, and just lay on me and kiss me over and over. He asked if we could go out to eat and I first said no. Then, I realized that he was needing my attention and although it was almost 8 pm, we headed out. The plans were a place close, like within 10 miles or so. But, he asked for a place in particular so we obliged him. He eats well, likes fruits and veggies and this place offers that so how could we say no.

Once inside and seated, the server approached our table. Since we eat there often, this was a young girl that we had talked with before. I knew a little bit about her but mostly it was always small talk. Anyway, she asked me about the school where my kids go and told me her son was registered to start kindergarten there this fall. She inquired about the “meet the teacher” meeting and I explained it to her.

Without even realizing what I was doing, I asked her if she had purchased the laundry list of supplies that are required by our school. She turned white as a ghost. She kind of nodded her head in the negative and I could tell I had hit a nerve. As soon as I realized that she was in a predicament that wasn’t comfortable, I practically yelled, “GOOD THEN DON’T”. I had my family and student in need and it was just that easy. She indicated that she had not even seen the list and didn’t know what was on it.

I didn’t have my list with me but I knew I had almost everything on it minus maybe some kleenex and hand sanitizer. She looked at me funny when I yelled out and I backed up to explain about the Elmer’s Glue campaign and the Bag it Forward. I got her name and number and found out that she is working all day today. I am taking Jace to get his shots later today as I am a bad parent and have been putting it off. He isn’t even registered for school yet…ooops.

They are pushing our start date back due to funding so I just kept pushing the shot date back too. Anyway, I’m gathering my supplies for this young girl (maybe 22 or 23) and I will make another photo of them to share here. I also told her that I would bring those supplies to her today and would go by and get the rest of the items on the list so all she would have to worry about would be his backpack and PE shoes. And, truth be known, I probably have shoes from the boys that have been hardly worn that will fit him for that purpose since they have to leave them at school anyway.

I’m going to ask today when I take this package to her at work.

I told you all that to say, when she left our table to go get our drinks, she had tears in her eyes. She just continued to thank me and almost every time she approached our table, she left in tears.

You all know I’ve done these campaigns before but for some reason, this one has me by the heart strings and I’m not sure if I can recover. Thanks to CB and Elmer’s for allowing me to take part in this campaign. The bottom line is this……….you guys rock!