Once a teacher, always a teacher

From the BCCT this morning. Another big "thank you" to the retired teachers who participated. You gave once in the classroom, and now you're doing it again!

Project outifts kids for school season
School retirees donate backpacks, clothes and school supplies to needy families at the Family Service Association in Middletown.
By CHRISTIAN MENNO

Eleven-year-old Brielle Nusser loves the color purple.

Her twin sister Brianna has a strong affection towards anything pink.

On Friday, as they sat, sprawled out on the floor of the Family Service Association community room in Middletown, the girls eagerly examined their new backpacks — one purple, one pink — each bursting with school supplies and clothes, most of which matched their favorite hues.

As each item was removed from the bags, a quick “Mom, look!” squeaked through the twins’ relentless smiles.

Their mother, Jeannie Lutz of Bristol, gazed back approvingly, as tears welled in her eyes.

Dozens of others, mostly members of the Pennsylvania Association of School Retirees and staffers of the FSA, looked on as well.

Brielle and Brianna were the first children to receive their donated clothes and supplies as part of this year’s Bucks County Back-to-School Klothes 4 Kids Project.

This is the fourth year that FSA has joined with the PASR and the Bucks First Federal Credit Union to help needy children and families throughout the county, as they prepare for the always anxious and usually expensive back-to-school season.

“Families are struggling with the way the economy is right now,” FSA communications coordinator Stephanie Sides said, as she waded through the room packed with dozens of volunteers and more than 130 backpacks.

“They are not able to buy new things and kids are wearing handme-downs. It’s so important that these kids have a new outfit and some new things. It really gets them excited for the school year and it just gives them some encouragement.”

The project starts with the FSA, which puts together a list of names, along with clothes sizes and color preferences. Willing members of PASR then “adopt” a child, receive the information and start shopping. Meanwhile the Bucks First Federal prints brochures and sends them out to each of its 14,000 members to encourage any additional donations.

The result, Sides said, is a child with the confidence and enthusiasm to jump into the school year.

On Friday, it was clear that the two biggest smiles in the room belonged to Brielle and Brianna, but if anyone’s grin could compare it was Meg Kramer’s.

Kramer, a former president of PASR and a retired Pennsbury elementary school teacher, shopped for the twins this year. She had also “adopted” them two years ago, but had never met the soon-to-be sixth-graders until now.

“They were in my imagination and I just had fun shopping for them,” she said. “But this … I just can’t describe it. It’s wonderful.”

Kramer was then wrapped up with hugs as the girls showed their appreciation.

Their mother was just as grateful.

“This has been a lot of help over these last couple of years,” Lutz said, still holding back tears. “It’s very touching.”

Eventually all the backpacks will be emptied from the room, as FSA counselors deliver them to their families, giving dozens of other children a jumpstart for the school year.

Deborah Gable, who taught at Makefield Elementary for 32 years, donated supplies and outfits set to go to a kindergartner.

“This is my second year participating,” she said. “It was so invigorating last year that I just had to follow through again.”

Sides explained that these former teachers and school employees make the perfect match for this kind of project.

“Once a teacher, always a teacher,” she said. “The fact that they’re still helping these kids is very important to them.

“The kids see these complete strangers do something so nice for them, and they learn from that. They learn about giving back.”