From staff reports
During June and July, the student-led book club DAYLO (Diversity Awareness Youth Literacy Organization), the nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center, and the Storybook Shoppe children’s bookstore collected more than $8,000 worth of school supplies and gift cards to donate to the students and teachers of Robert Smalls Leadership Academy (RSLA), an award-winning Title 1 public school serving Pre-Kindergarten through 8th grade in Beaufort.
The school supplies drive collaboration is reflective of the pro-literacy and community-building mission of DAYLO, the educational mission of the Conroy Center (which honors the legacy of Pat Conroy as educator, author, and advocate), and the family and community outreach goals of the Storybook Shoppe. In addition to having drop-off locations for supplies at the Conroy Center and the Storybook Shoppe, the DAYLO students also gratefully received supplies at their summer community literacy events.
delivered more than $8,000 worth of school supplies for students at Robert Smalls Leadership
Academy. Photo courtesy of Pat Conroy Literacy Center
The largest donation to the school supplies drive came in the form of 100 backpacks loaded with essential elementary school supplies, donated and delivered by Kim Jeffcoat, Chief Community Officer of The Jeffcoat Firm. Each colorful backpack contained a notebook, scissors, crayons, pencils and a sharpener, a glue stick, folders, and a supplies pouch — all to help students prepare for a successful and enthusiastic beginning to their new school year.
In support of education and community well being, the Jeffcoat Gives Backpack initiative delivered more than 1,700 backpacks of supplies to community partners in Columbia, Lexington, St. Matthews, Holly Hill, and Orangeburg. For a second consecutive year, the Conroy Center was selected as The Jeffcoat Firm’s distribution partner in Beaufort.
The inspiring generosity of dozens and dozens of individual local donors from across the Lowcountry also filled several huge bins with vital supplies for educators and their students, all from the school’s official supplies list for the year. Curiously, one of the many bins came filled with supplies from the Toys“R”Us set of Roofman, the forthcoming Channing Tatum film, courtesy of a connection facilitated by the Storybook Shoppe.
DAYLO student leaders E Achurch (The Complete Student) and Piper Kennedy (Beaufort High School) were joined by past DAYLO leaders Nora O’Brien, Mary Ruff, and Anjali Barigala (all Beaufort High), and their mentors Claire Bennett and Conroy Center executive director Jonathan Haupt in delivering the many supplies to RSLA, home of Beaufort County School District Principal of the Year Bradley Tarrance, prior to the start of the new school year to help support the educational needs of the nearly 900 students who attend the school. DAYLO student leader Becca Bennett (Beaufort Academy) also assisted the Jeffcoat Firm’s delivery of the backpacks to the Conroy Center.
“I’m tremendously proud of the remarkable work of our world-saving DAYLO students, our Conroy Center supporters and volunteers, the customers and staff of the Storybook Shoppe, and the many generous members of our community who wanted to help Robert Smalls students and teachers start the new school year with a plethora of supplies to equip them for success,” said Conroy Center executive director Jonathan Haupt. “We’re beyond grateful to Kim Jeffcoat and The Jeffcoat Firm for once again supporting this project with such an incredible gift, truly in service to the many communities they serve.
“Beyond the thousands of items we were able to collectively donate, in the spirit of Robert Smalls Leadership Academy being an extraordinary community school, we also wanted to show all of those students and teachers in a grand, impactful way that our community cares about them, supports them, and wishes them fantastic learning experiences this school year.”
This is the second year of the DAYLO-led school supplies drive in collaboration with the Conroy Center and the Storybook Shoppe. Last year’s supply drive benefited St. Helena Elementary School, also a Title 1 school.
