Call for School Supplies for Memphis Area Children Served by Youth Villages Backpack Heroes Program

Southern Security, a not-for-profit financial cooperative whose mission is to help its members financially, announces a call for donations of school supplies for children living in the Greater Memphis area that are served by the Youth Villages Backpack Heroes Program. Those interested in contributing school supplies or money to purchase school supplies may drop off donations at any Southern Security branch until July 23. Southern Security branch locations may be found on their website at this link: https://www.southernsecurity.org/locations/.

The Youth Villages 2024 Backpack Heroes Program is sponsored by Southern Security and is an annual event that serves children who have experienced trauma or have a history of emotional or behavioral issues so they can start the school year equipped to succeed. Youth Villages is a national leader in children’s mental and behavioral health, bringing help and hope to tens of thousands of children, families, and young people across the U.S. annually. To learn more about Youth Villages, visit their website: https://youthvillages.org.

“We are so thankful to Southern Security for its support of collecting school supplies and providing backpacks and supply bags for our Backpack Heroes program. A new backpack full of school supplies can have a profound impact on a child’s learning experience. You can be a Youth Villages Backpack Hero by donating school supplies or making a financial contribution to support a child in your community at any Southern Security branch,” said Richard Shaw, chief development officer for Youth Villages. “We believe children do well when boundaries are removed, making learning easily accessible. For many children in our care, starting school can be a challenge and a source of anxiety for families due to the costs of school supplies.”

Southern Security and the Youth Villages Backpack Heroes Program are seeking donations for the following school supplies: ballpoint pens (black, blue, and red), one-inch binders, colored pencils, crayons, Expo dry erase markers, folders with pockets and prongs, highlighters, markers, No 2. pencils, wide-ruled notebook paper, non-spiral bound wide-ruled composition notebooks, pencil pouches or boxes, large pink pearl erasers, and plastic rulers. Monetary donations are also helpful.

“We are proud to partner with Youth Villages for the Backpack Heroes Program to help provide children with backpacks filled with school supplies so that they may each be positioned to have a successful school year,” said Dawn Graeter, CEO of Southern Security. “We understand the financial strain families may be experiencing, and we are hopeful the donated school supplies and backpacks will remove some of the burden for families as children start back to school.”

Southern Security staff will take the collected items, put $100 worth of school supplies into each donated backpack and distribute to families in need ahead of the school year. School supplies still needed after the donation drive will be covered by Southern Security.

Southern Security strives to create a better community with local investments and to provide superior service to its members by offering better rates and lower fees. Today, Southern Security has more than 23,000 individual members, $234 million in assets, and 500 partner businesses and organizations.