Northeastern Illinois University’s Office of Alumni Relations and College of Education have teamed up to collect backpacks for 150 children from Cornerstone Community Outreach who are without permanent housing.
“As an institution that understands the transformative power of education, we are excited about the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of students in our community who have extremely limited economic resources,” said Damaris Tapia, director of Alumni Relations. “We want to ensure these children start their school year off with the tools they need to have success in the classroom and ultimately attend and graduate college.”
Cornerstone Community Outreach is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to raising the quality of life for low-income residents in the Uptown neighborhood of Chicago.
Backpack donations may be dropped off at Northeastern’s Alumni Center, in Building I at 3701 W. Bryn Mawr Ave. Donations will be accepted from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday through Aug. 10, and the Alumni Relations office will provide in-kind donation credit.
Donors may also contribute funds for Northeastern to purchase supplies on their behalf by selecting “Other” and designating the contribution as “Community Service-Back Pack.” (For some guidance, the average cost of a backpack is $15-$35.)
The backpacks will be distributed Aug. 12 at the Cornerstone Community Outreach Center.
