Monday, March 18, 2024

Partners bring together unique Stuff the Bus event at Icicle Creek Center for the Arts

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This event was the brainchild of marketing wiz Jennifer Korfiatis, who works for both North Central Educational Service District and the Icicle Creek Center for the Arts. A stuff-the-bus event is planned to gather school supplies for the Cascade School District. 

The ESD often does school supply drives, but this one is a bit different. 

“I found myself in the unique position of seeing a need for school supplies. Some of the districts have a higher poverty level than others. If you are a family of multiple kids at the start of the year, school supplies can a real challenge to afford,” Korfiatis said. “I thought the ESD can help. ICCA can help. That’s how the conversation started. In the ESD service area, across the 29 districts, there are lots of needs. This could very be something we build on next year. We want to start with Leavenworth and Cascade because of the nice connection with Icicle Creek.”

There are two concerts coming up at ICCA which figures to have good attendance, the Paperboys on July 29 and Shawn Mullins on Aug. 12. With a large draw expected, Korfiatis thought this would be a nice way to do the stuff-the-bus. 

“Cascade delivers the bus here. We have a couple hundred patrons coming through. We can definitely promote it to them. It’s just a nice distribution point. It just happens to tie in nicely with those two concerts. I don’t know that will always be the case, but it worked out this year,” she said. 

The stuff-the-bus is open to anyone, whether attending the concert or not. Even if you are not going to the show, you can stop by and donate. In exchange for donating, you’ll get a buy-one-get-one free ticket voucher for a future event at Icicle Creek. 

“The intent is not to use to get into the concert that night but a future show. It’s nice when the stars align. We don’t have a goal. We’re hoping to collect as much as possible. We know Cascade has a need. Another need is the teachers to equip their classrooms. Some of that comes out of their pocket. That’s another group we hope to help with this,” Korfiatis said. 

Rebecca Ryker, executive director of the ICCA, said tying this to their two big outdoor shows really gives it a lot of exposure. 

“We are proud when we can give back to the community,” Ryker said. “We would love to see this become a tradition. This is a great way to use our resources to help the community.”

To help those who might wish to donate, Ryker said there is a school supply list on their website, icicle.org. “I would encourage folks to look at the list and see if there’s something meaningful to their family or maybe they have a student. They can find whatever inspires them,” Ryker said. 

Dr. Michelle Price, the superintendent of the NCESD, said the stuff-the-bus event is something they have sponsored for several years. 

“Each year, we pick a different district to support. Cascade is the district this year. It’s going to be a fun event at the concert venue and the partnership with the ICCA and Cascade School District. Just a great opportunity for families to help their kids get ready for fall,” Price said. 

Collecting school supplies is very important, Price said, especially for schools with a higher poverty rate. 

“The higher the poverty in the school district, the more need there is. Families are struggling to put food on the table, let alone school supplies. There’s a huge need. It’s such a great community opportunity to wrap ourselves around our families and make sure kids are able to come to school prepared,” Price said. 

Cascade School Superintendent Bill Motsenbocker said 48.5 percent of their students get free or reduced lunch. There is a sliding scale depending on how many children in the family. There is an income requirement, so based on that, kids either get lunch for free or at a reduced cost. 

Typically, those families getting free or reduced lunch also have trouble affording school supplies. In the past, church groups have brought backpacks full of school supplies to the schools. 

“They give those to our counselors, primarily at the elementary grades. Once the kids get older, they are little more reluctant. They don’t want to take the handouts. They don’t want to have that stigma attached to it,” Motsenbocker said. “Our counselors bring the kids to the office and chat with them and ask how they are doing with school supplies. They give them the backpack to take, so it’s very discreet. That’s how we’ve done it in the past.”

This doesn’t mean there are not school supplies available for middle and high school students, it just means they have fewer kids wanting to take advantage. 

“It is available and the counselors in each of the buildings have access. We know the families, so they’ll make contact with those families either by phone or we’ll talk to the kids directly,” Motsenbocker said. “We’ll ask them about supplies and they’ll tell us. Most of the time they will take the backpack.”

If this stuff-the-bus event is successful, he said this should provide a big boost. The primary goal is to have people bring a bag full of school supplies that a kid would need. As a student gets older, they need different supplies. 

“We take all the supplies we get and put them in a centralized location. We distribute them based on what is required for certain grades,” Motsenbocker said. “The website (cascadesd.org) of all the schools, there is a supply list for each grade. If people have a desire to donate school supplies to kids who have needs, then they can go to the website. They could do complete supplies for say, a second grader, and bring that to the bus.”

The first stuff-the-bus opportunity is at 7 p.m. on Saturday, July 29 at the ICCA Meadow Stage when the Paperboys perform. The next stuff-the-bus opportunity will be at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 12 at the ICCA Meadow Stage when Shawn Mullins performs. 

Ian Dunn can be reached at 548-5286 or editor@leavenworthecho.com.

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