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Oklahoma
State Senate
Communications Division
State Capitol
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73105
For Immediate Release: November 23, 2011
Students at Positive Tomorrows School were excited to receive
sackpacks Tuesday, provided by the
Office Depot Foundation and the National Foundation for Women Legislators,
full of snacks and
school supplies donated by Sen. Constance Johnson and other State
Senate staffers.
Senate staff joins OKC Senator in stuffing backpacks
for local under privileged kids
Sen. Constance
N. Johnson joined with Oklahoma State Senate staff Tuesday to
collect food and supplies to fill sackpacks for the children at
Positive Tomorrows, an Oklahoma City School for homeless children.
Each year in August, the Senator partners with the Office Depot
Foundation and the National Foundation for Women Legislators (NFWL)
to distribute backpacks to school children. This year, however,
the organization sent more items than expected so the legislator
was able to help multiple schools as well as organizations that
help adults receive educational services.
“During the Thanksgiving holiday, many of us will gather at
home with our families and give thanks for our good fortunes. But
through no fault of their own, thousands of Oklahoma children, whose
families have no place to call their own, will face uncertainty
this holiday season,” said Johnson, D-Oklahoma County. “What
a wonderful blessing it was to all of us to be able to give these
sackpacks to such a precious group of children. I was overwhelmed
by my Senate family’s outpouring of support in donating food
and supplies to fill the sackpacks for the kids to take home over
the long Thanksgiving holiday. For many of them, the only meals
they receive are at school so we felt it was important to send them
home with plenty of snacks as well as coloring books and crayons
to help brighten their holiday. And we plan on doing it again at
Christmas.”
The sackpacks, which are a slimmer version of the more traditional
backpacks, are provided through the Office Depot Foundation’s
annual National Backpack Program. The NFWL, of which Johnson is
a member and former leader of, then helps get the backpacks into
the hands of legislators around the country. Since 2001, the Office
Depot Foundation has distributed backpacks to more than 2.5 million
kids nationwide. This year alone, they are donating 350,000 sackpacks.
Positive Tomorrows is a private, nonprofit elementary school serving
the special needs of homeless children, K-5th grade, in Oklahoma
City.
Josh Beasley, Director of Development for Positive Tomorrows, said
the donations were greatly appreciated and timely with Tuesday being
the students’ last day of school before the long holiday break.
"We are so grateful for Senator Johnson and the Senate staff
for sharing these gifts with our students," said Beasley. "During
this season of giving and sharing, it is wonderful to see our state
leaders remember the smallest members of our community affected
by homelessness - the children."
Johnson and Senate staff members were able to meet with some of
the students during a tour of the facility, which currently serves
35 students.
“I want to thank the Office Depot Foundation and the National
Foundation for Women Legislators for providing these sackpacks for
students,” said Johnson. “For some, backpacks may seem
like such a small thing, but for so many students they are a tremendous
gift. It shows them that people care about them and their future,
which is key to helping build their self confidence and ultimately
helping them reach their fullest potentials.”
The Office Depot Foundation’s National Backpack Program is
in its eleventh year. Together, the Office Depot and the Office
Depot Foundation have donated more than 2.3 million backpacks since
the program began in 2001. NFWL has been partnering with the backpack
program for six years and, this year, the Office Depot Foundation
will provide the National Foundation for Women Legislators with
nearly 18,000 backpacks for distribution by women elected officials
in all 50 states.
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About the National Foundation for Women Legislators, Inc.
(NFWL)
Through annual educational and networking events, the National Foundation
for Women Legislators supports women legislators from all levels
of governance. As a non-profit, non-partisan organization, NFWL
does not take ideological positions on public policy issues, but
rather serves as a forum for women legislators to be empowered through
information and experience.
About the Office Depot Foundation
The Office Depot Foundation is an independent foundation (tax exempt
under IRC Sec. 501(c)(3) that serves as the independent charitable
giving arm of Office Depot, Inc. In keeping with its mission, Listen
Learn Care®, the Foundation supports a variety of programs that
help children succeed in school and in life; enable civil society
(non-profit) organizations to become more efficient and effective;
help people and businesses prepare for disasters, then recover and
rebuild afterwards; strengthen local communities through grants,
product donations and volunteerism; and encourage community development
through entrepreneurship and economic innovation. For more information,
visit www.officedepotfoundation.org.
For more information, contact:
Sen. Johnson: (405) 521-5531
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