The staff, faculty, and students of Ross Medical Education Center in Port Huron know well that every year during the back to school season, children are nervous and excited for what awaits them in the next year. However, the start of a school year can also bring stress and worry to parents and school districts alike as they face the challenge of ensuring an adequate amount of school supplies is on hand for their children and students. Ross Port Huron has a history of supporting local elementary schools. One of the ways that they do this is by conducting a month long school supply drive each August to help ease some of this strain.
This year the Port Huron campus chose Cleveland Elementary School as the recipient of their Back to School Drive. Cleveland Elementary, home of the Cleveland Super Bees, is located in the city of Port Huron and has been part of the Port Huron Area School District since 1959. The Ross Port Huron staff, faculty, and student body teamed up to raise an impressive 650 items for the Cleveland Super Bees. The large number of donations made this one of their most successful drives to date.
In early September a few Ross staff members had the privilege of visiting Cleveland Elementary School to deliver boxes containing the much needed supplies and to meet some of the students and staff who would be putting all of the items to great use this school year. Mr. Dave Roberts, School Principal, welcomed the Ross staff and provided them with a tour of the Cleveland Elementary campus, as well as an introduction to a group of very excited and appreciative second graders. Mia Vargo, Campus Director, was one of the fortunate individuals to participate in the supply delivery.
After receiving hugs, smiles and words of appreciation from the group of elated second graders, Mrs. Vargo expressed, “there is simply no way to describe the pure joy I witnessed as the children opened the boxes of school supplies. It is amazing how a small gesture can make such an impact.” Nicole Semrow, Financial Aid Student Support Representative, who previously worked for the Port Huron Area School District, recognizes first-hand the need for community support, “having the supplies you need as a teacher is incredibly important. Being able to provide brand new supplies to the students allows the teachers to focus on teaching and makes the students feel more confident and cared about in school, it’s a win-win.”
The annual school supply drive has become a tradition at the Port Huron campus that will surely continue in the coming years. To learn more about the Cleveland Elementary School and/or Port Huron Area School District go to http://cleveland.phasd.us/. To find other ways to volunteer and give back in the Port Huron community you can also check out http://www.volunteermatch.org/.