Imagine it’s your first day of school, and you had a wonderful summer filled with family vacations and playing with friends, but you can hardly contain your excitement for the new school year. Your parents bought you new clothes for your first day, and you’re feeling your best. You walk into your classroom, hang your coat on the back of your chair, and eagerly await your new teacher’s instructions. Her first request-pull out your notebook and number 2 pencil because you’re going to work on your writing. You pull these supplies out of your new backpack your mom bought you and quickly begin your assignment with the rest of your classmates.

Now, imagine your first day going slightly differently.

You’ve dreaded this day for weeks because you knew your parents couldn’t afford the supplies on the list your teacher provided at the open house. You arrive to school with only the clothes on your back and last year’s shoes that are slightly too small because you had another growth spurt this summer. You walk into your classroom and choose a seat in the back. You can feel the dread climbing from your stomach up to your throat. You’ll have to borrow some supplies from another child in your class as you did last year and are sure you will have to next year. A classmate sits down next to you, and you can see their excitement as they pull their notebooks and pencil out of their brand-new backpack. You lean over and whisper your request to borrow some paper and an extra pencil. You’re embarrassed, but it’s better than telling the teacher you don’t have the materials you need.

As of 2017, the cost of back-to-school supplies was equal to the average mortgage.

The second scenario happens more often than most realize, and it happens in our own communities. Millions of children here in the U.S. live in homes that can’t provide the school supplies needed, and each year the cost of these supplies increases. As of 2017, the cost of back-to-school supplies was equal to the average mortgage. With these costs continuing to rise, more children are sent to school without the materials needed to be successful each year.

Backpacks Of Hope Goes National

BlueGrace Logistics partners with local organizations each year to help the children of their communities with their “Backpacks of Hope” drive. The drive divides each office into teams who then compete to collect the most supplies. The winning team wins bragging rights or a fun prize of no monetary value, but the competition as well as desire to help those in need truly push the drive to success each year. BlueGrace’s headquarters in Tampa, FL has partnered with Metropolitan Ministries for many years, and as the company has grown and added regional offices throughout the country, these offices have found local organizations and schools to partner with as well. “This takes our ‘Giving Grace’ program to a national level and increases the impact exponentially,” Courtney Smith, Manager, Culture & Engagement explains.

BlueGrace Chicago

BlueGrace Chicago partnered with Chicago’s Children Advocacy Center for the second year in a row. The office’s two teams were able to collect donations through traditional fundraising. Robert Rogalski, a sales associate in the Chicago office, reached out to friends and family through social media and was able to raise almost 50% of his team’s funds. At the end of the 5 week drive, the office was able to collect 980 supplies for the CAC.

BlueGrace Richmond

BlueGrace Richmond partnered with their local Goodwill® to collect supplies this year. Sticking with BlueGrace Chicago’s tactic, employees collected supplies and donations individually and brought them into the office. Together they were able to collect 312 supplies for the children in their community.

With the consequences of losing looming over them, both teams put in a huge effort to raise money and supplies, and it paid off.

BlueGrace Los Angeles

BlueGrace Los Angeles truly tapped into everyone’s competitive nature and upped the stakes for their drive. Two teams competed, and the losing team agreed to line up for a nerf gun firing squad. With the consequences of losing looming over them, both teams put in a huge effort to raise money and supplies, and it paid off. The office was able to collect 2,028 supplies to donate to La Mesa Junior High School in Santa Clarita, California. “It is incredible the impact that these donations make,” Chris Kupillas, Regional Vice President for the Los Angeles office stated.

These fundraisers along with individual donations, made it possible for the office to donate 12,061 supplies, crushing their goal of 10,000 supplies and surpassing the donation count from 2017 of 7,757 supplies.

BlueGrace Tampa

BlueGrace Tampa, the company’s headquarters and largest office, relied on contests and raffles to raise money for supplies to donate to Metropolitan Ministries. This included some usual employee favorites like a 50/50 raffle and a dunk tank contest, but Michael Brown, Senior Manager Carrier Sales, shocked everyone when he donated a week of his vacation time to be raffled off. This was a first for BlueGrace’s drives, and it went better than anyone could have expected. With the raffle open to the entire company, donations came rolling in from all over the country for the chance to win the vacation time. It quickly became the largest individual, in-office fundraiser BlueGrace has seen in many years. “Thanks to the giving spirit and core value driven mentality of our employees, these drives continue to become more successful.” said Ken Galyon, Senior Specialist Risk Management and Backpacks of Hope captain in Tampa. These fundraisers along with individual donations, made it possible for the office to donate 12,061 supplies, crushing their goal of 10,000 supplies and surpassing the donation count from 2017 of 7,757 supplies.

Not only was BlueGrace Tampa able to surpass their goal, but the entire organization exceeded their goal of 15,000 supplies with 15,381.

Not only was BlueGrace Tampa able to surpass their goal, but the entire organization exceeded their goal of 15,000 supplies with 15,381. “While it’s amazing to see what one office can do, it’s even more astounding to see what an entire company can do across the country,” Halley Shapero, Senior Enterprise Development Representative and Backpacks of Hope Captain reflects. After all of the contests, raffles, and collaborative efforts, BlueGrace was able to provide over 1,150 children with filled backpacks and supplies, and that’s what it’s all about.