Optimist Club collects Tools for School

Already? That's what I thought when I saw that the Optimist Club of Fort Payne, Alabama was already preparing to send students back to school with the annual Tools for School supply drive. But it is that time of year and with school beginning in only one month, the Optimists are looking for school supplies or any other things that a student might need.

Each year, more than forty students are helped directly through the Childcare Resource Network. With a nod to the unemployment rate, club president Brian Baine explained that this year they also plan to have supplies available at the Fort Payne Career Center for parents who may have recently lost their job.

The drive officially kicks off on July 23 and runs through August 10. Supplies may be dropped off in DeKalb County at Wal-Mart, Foodland, the Career Center, Fort Payne Chamber of Commerce and Timesaver on DeSoto Parkway.

School supply drives are an easy and meaningful project for any Optimist Club to perform. If you are not sure where or how to donate, contact a school or school district in your local community and offer to adopt a class or spearhead a program. They will give you tips on what's needed, where it's needed, and how to be successful.