Community is important as ever for the Crayons to Calculators program

Boulder Valley's Impact on Education has been around for nearly 40 years, and the Crayons to Calculators program is one of their longest running programs. Since the Boulder Valley School District (BVSD) and the St.Vrain Valley School District ( SVVSD) are so close, the St. Vrain Valley Schools Education Foundation entered into a partnership and now the program is a joint effort.

This is notable because, on average, families spend $75 on school supplies, according to the website. Their goal this year is to raise $250,000 for students, and as of Saturday, July 10, they are 13% towards their goal.

This may seem like a high goal, but Crayons to Calculators serves at least 11,000 students each year, making sure that students are able to start the year with school supplies. In the past, supply drives were the go-to way to make this happen, but with COVID, they've had to switch gears. Both last year and this year, they've adopted a monetary-donation model, and are also incorporating a community challenge this year.

"Most people still want to help, and some find it easier to click a button to donate, but we still have some who enjoyed the efforts to coordinate a drive," said Michelle Phelan, Community Liaison for SVVSD. "This [community challenge] allows people to engage with [their] employees, coworkers or neighbors to be part of Crayons to Calculators."

This July, the Crayons to Calculators team is implementing a community challenge to serve as a way to engage with others while supporting students. Essentially, the challenge encourages organizations and/or individuals to sign up as teams and fundraise. Crayons to Calculators has also partnered with Google, which has pledged to match, up to $10,000, all donations made by June 30.

"With their match, it will help to engage our community and hopefully excite them to donate," said Phelen. "We have been so appreciative of the support of our community, businesses and sponsors to help provide school supplies to students."

If you aren't able to find a team to participate in the challenge, have no fear, the group collects donations throughout the year.

In addition to the online donation process and community challenge, Crayons to Calculators accepts individual checks and has partnered with a number of sponsors over the years. Western Disposal, for example, is the title sponsor and has partnered with the program for a number of years.

"The most challenging [thing] is to be sure each year we have the funding to keep this program going. What is so rewarding is working with our sponsors, community members, faith and civic organizations, that help to make this happen," Phelan explained.

For Phelan, the best part of the program is knowing that the community is taking an active role in helping students across BVSD and SVVSD get the supplies they need so they may focus on learning.

Once Crayons to Calculators reaches its fundraising goal, they will be able to work with their wholesale supplier to put the backpacks together for distribution. Families who are in need of the supplies should then reach out to their own schools about how to get assistance from the program.

For more information about Crayons to Calculators and how to get involved, you may visit crayonstocalculators.org, or contact Michelle Phelen at michelle@stvrainfoundation.org.