SUDBURY - Recognizing that many students will go without proper supplies this year, members of the OPSEU Sudbury Area Council have completed a school supply drive for six schools in the Rainbow District School Board's Sudbury and Manitoulin Island catchment areas. The supplies will be given to members of OPSEU Local 668,
representing Educational Assistants at the Board, in a formal event Thursday.
When: Thursday, February 10, 2005
Where: OPSEU Regional Office, 866 Newgate Avenue, Newgate Square, Sudbury
Time: 5:30 p.m.
"Despite Liberal promises of increased educational funding, we know that many students will not have access to pencils, pens, binders or even paper as the school year progresses," said Jan O'Leary, chair of the Sudbury Area Council. "The schools no longer have the ability to supply even the basics to students, and many families
are hard-pressed just to heat their homes and put food on the table."
In addition to the basic supplies, the Area Council collected lunch bags and backpacks that will be distributed to students in need at Landsdowne Public School, Queen Elizabeth Public School, Cyril Varney Public School, Adamsdale Public School, S. Greiger Public School in Massey, and Little Current Public School, as well as to
the Genevra House Women's Shelter in Sudbury.
"Every day, we see kids in our schools who have trouble succeeding because they don't have the fundamental tools to do their work," said Katherina Whipple, an Educational Assistant with the Board. "This is not what is supposed to happen in a province as rich as Ontario. It's time the province started addressing this problem and
provide adequate school funding. In the meantime, we will rely on the generosity of those who donated to the drive, and we thank them on behalf of our kids."
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For more information, please contact:
Lynda Ferguson (705) 670-4348
Denis Boyer (705) 560-1502
