Back to School Drive Helps Area Schools
August means it’s almost back-to-school time, and that means teachers and classrooms need supplies. Often, teachers pay out of pocket to top off their classrooms with the odds and ends that support education – everything from paper and pens to tissues and calculators.
The Courageous Steps Project, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, is helping teachers across the state bear that burden for the 5th year in a row by organizing a Back To School Drive. The drive collects monetary donations as well as physical school supplies, and recently saw a major collection effort at Governor’s Restaurant at Old Town.
Beal College is also supporting the initiative, with a collection point located in the lobby, directly across from the bookstore.
Beal College Chief Operations Officer Steve Villett, who also serves on the Board of Directors of the Courageous Steps Project, said this was the third year the College has worked to support the non-profit.
“We felt that this organization did a lot of good for the local school kids within the community,” said Villett. “Beal wanted to partner with them to spread their message.”
The Courageous Steps Project was founded in 2014 by Connor Archer. For the past five years, it has worked to help children and young adults with developmental challenges overcome obstacles. Courageous Steps raises awareness of developmental challenges and serves as a means of support for those individuals through charitable giving, scholarships, and other initiatives like the Back to School Drive. The organization focuses its efforts on Eastern Maine, and over the years has donated collected school supplies to nearly three dozen schools in the area.