On January 31, 2018 Columbia participated in the Kids In Need Foundation event held by U.S. Communities at their annual conference. U.S. Communities has sponsored this event in past years with exuberant participation and this year was no different. Last year, the event raised enough funds to fill just over 1,000 backpacks. This year, the event raised enough funds to fill 1,227 backpacks!
Columbias donation of $1,000 helped fill enough backpacks for two classrooms! Each backpack is filled with 3 folders, 2 notebooks, 1 package pencils, 1 package crayons, 1 package markers, 1 scissors, 2 glue sticks, 1 package Post-It notes, 1 pencil pouch (contains eraser & pencil sharpener), 1 ruler, 2 pens, 1 backpack and other school supplies. Studies have proven that when children are provided with appropriate school supplies, their grades increase, their confidence grows, and attendance, behavior, and general attitude toward learning also improve.
Prince William County Public Schools
The 2018 recipient of the Kids In Need Foundations backpack drive was the Prince William County Public Schools in Virginia. The Kids In Need Foundation typically helps out schools that are recovering from local disasters, such as a tornado or hurricane, or schools in which the student population has a 70% or higher enrollment rate in the Federal Free or Reduced Lunch Program. The Prince William County Public Schools met the requirements for the program due to their percentage of children enrolled in the Federal Free or Reduced Lunch Program.
The school district has over 81,000 students enrolled with a minority percentage of 66%. The divorce rate is also roughly 10% higher than other areas in Virginia. The 2017 graduation rate was 91.8%. This is 2% higher than what it was only 5 years ago. Programs such as the Kids In Need Foundation have helped the Prince William County School District provide a solid educational foundation for elementary-age students, helping increase the success rate of the students.
Circus World Museum began in 1959 on a plot of land less than an acre in size and six circus wagons. Today the museum covers 64 acres and includes 30 permanent structures, seven winter quarters buildings, plus the Ringling Bros. Circus Train shed complex.
More About Columbia and The Nordic Group of Companies
Based in Reedsburg, Wisconsin, Columbia is a premier electric vehicle manufacturer whose history dates back to 1946. Columbia has one of the most expansive electric vehicle product line-ups in the world, producing electric vehicles for private use as well as commercial and industrial applications. Products include models that move from 1 to 24 people, carry up to 6,000 pounds of payload, tow up to 16,000 pounds, and travel up to 25 miles per hour. To learn more about Columbia, visit
http://columbiavehicles.com/.
Columbia Vehicle Group, Inc. is a member of the Nordic Group of Companies, Ltd. Nordic Group (headquartered in Baraboo, WI) is a privately-held holding company consisting of subsidiaries with 22 facilities and 24 marketing units around the world with over 2,400 associates. Nordic Group member companies manufacture and distribute plastic, seating, and transportation products worldwide for industrial, commercial and consumer markets. For more information, visit www.nordicgroup.com.
More About U.S. Communities
U.S. Communities is the leading national government purchasing cooperative, providing world class government procurement resources and solutions to local and state government agencies, school districts (K-12), higher education institutions, and nonprofit organizations. U.S. Communities was founded in 1996 as a partnership with National Sponsors. Today, our National Sponsors include the Association of School Business Officials, the National Association of Counties, the National League of Cities, the United States Conference of Mayors, and the National Governors Association. U.S. Communities is the first cooperative purchasing program to earn the NIGP Accredited Cooperative (NAC) accreditation. More than 55,000 registered agencies, education institutions and nonprofits utilize U.S. Communities contracts to procure more than $2.3 billion in products and services annually.
For additional information please visit www.uscommunities.org.
More About The Kids In Need Foundation
The Kids In Need Foundations mission is to ensure that every child is prepared to learn and succeed in the classroom by providing free school supplies nationally to students most in need.For the 16 million kids who come from families struggling with extreme poverty, getting school supplies can make all the difference in the world to their future success. How can a kid be expected to succeed in the classroom without the basic tools to learn?
Recent studies show that when kids have new school supplies of their own:
-Grades, classroom behavior, and engagement improve
-Self-esteem increases
-Attitudes toward school and learning strengthen
Last year, the Kids In Need Foundation helped 180,000 teachers and 5.4 million students in some of the most challenged communities across the country. In our 22 years, we have distributed nearly $900 million in supplies to kids who would otherwise go without them.
For more information please visit the Kids In Need Foundation website.