Every year many students go back to school without the basic supplies they need to be successful in their education. To help alleviate this problem, the Port Huron, Michigan campus of Ross Medical Education Center conducted a school supply drive during the month of August to benefit the students of the Port Huron Area School District. The Port Huron Area School District has an enrollment of just over 9,000 students in grades K–12. Their students are housed in sixteen different buildings throughout St. Clair County.
In recent years, the burden of purchasing school supplies has increased as parents are now required to purchase technology related items such as headsets and flash drives for their children’s school needs. Also, to keep the classrooms healthy, teachers ask that parents provide tissues, hand sanitizer, paper towels, and even hand soap as district budgets and PTA funding continue to shrink. Keely Baribeau, Director of Community Relations and Marketing for the Port Huron Area School District, advised that in addition to the usual pencils and notebooks, the schools are also in need of clothing items such as underwear and socks for younger students who sometimes suffer accidents, spills, or other mishaps.
The Ross staff and students had a great time purchasing brightly colored pencils, markers, backpacks, and much more. Mary Jo Jobbitt, Clinic Instructor in the Port Huron Medical Assistant program, said, “it is important to donate school supplies, because every child, regardless of their economic situation, should have the opportunity to begin the school year with the same tools and advantages as their peers.” The campus was able to collect over 400 items to donate to the children and classrooms of the Port Huron Area School District. This total is approximately 100 more items than last year’s donation. It is the hope of the Ross Port Huron staff, faculty, and students that the that teachers and students of the Port Huron Area School District have a safe, happy, and productive school year!