Mayor De La Isla’s Project Puerto Rico initiative with Boys & Girls Club of Topeka yielded four bundles of school supplies, a total of $400 dollars in cash donations to be sent to students in Puerto Rico.
“I am so glad that the community was able to show up for the children in Puerto Rico and provide them with access to supplies that they will need for their education,” said Mayor Michelle De La Isla. “I want to thank Boys & Girls Club of Topeka for collecting the donations and helping with this initiative to help students learn after suffering through the effects of Hurricane Maria.”
Boys & Girls Clubs reach 4 million youth in 4,300 Club sites across the nation. Boys & Girls Clubs in Puerto Rico have 13 Clubs and annually serve 15,000 children between the ages of 6-18 years old every year. 9 out of 10 of those children reside in poverty.
“Boys & Girls Clubs work collectively to impact kids who need us most and when tragedy hits any Club area we respond from boots on the ground, resources and the support necessary to keep those Club sites available for those kids who need us most,” said Dawn McWilliams, Chief Executive Officer for Boys & Girls Club of Topeka. “We were honored to be selected by Mayor De La Isla to assist her in leading a local effort to get needed supplies into the hands of Club kids in Puerto Rico. A priority outcome area for Boys & Girls Clubs is good character & citizenship – guiding our Club kids to be engaged citizens and making a difference in the lives of others.”
Club kids and their families collected $50 and four boxes of miscellaneous school supplies. Mayor De La Isla is in contact with a Puerto Rican state representative to arrange an appropriate destination for the supplies at a Boys & Girls Club in Puerto Rico.