Local Kids Get A Fresh Start With New School Supplies

About 45 students in the Iron County School District will head into the new school year with brand-new clothes, shoes, and school supplies, thanks to the district’s first-ever Shopping Spree event. Organized by the Iron County School District Foundation, the event ensures that students in need won’t have to start school in hand-me-downs.

Shauna Lund, Communications Director and Foundation Coordinator for the Iron County School District, and Paul Terry, President of the Iron County School District Foundation were on the radio with us to talk about the event. “We have a really exciting new event,” Lund explained, “we are doing a shopping spree with 45 of our students in need.”

While this is the first time this event will happen in the Iron County School District, it is not the first time Lund has been involved in a project like this. “I came from northern Utah and I worked closely with the Davis School District, and I volunteered every year for what they called A Child's Spree.” Lund said she has been promoting this event to the local board ever since moving to Iron County.

“This is seeing a kid, sometimes for the first time, getting a new pair of shoes and a new outfit to go back to school. They've always gone in hand me downs,” Lund told us.

Iron County School District Foundation Is a Support Organization

The Iron County School District Foundation, is a separate entity from the Iron County School Board, and Terry explained that it was a grass roots effort. “We are all volunteers. We do this out of the, hopefully, good desires of our hearts.”

The Shopping Spree takes place Friday, Aug. 1, starting at 7:30 a.m. at Kohl’s Department Store in Washington, Utah. Students and their volunteer shoppers will board buses at 6:30 a.m. from the district office in Cedar City. Each student will be given a $150 gift card to shop for school clothes, shoes, socks, and underwear.

About 50 volunteers will assist, each equipped with gift cards, shopping lists provided by parents or guardians, and the child’s clothing sizes. Kohl’s is supporting the effort by offering a 20 percent discount and waiving sales tax.

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Students will also receive a backpack filled with school supplies and enjoy a donut and milk or juice on the early morning bus ride. Principals and counselors identify participating students to ensure the assistance reaches those who need it most. The Foundation plans to continue the Shopping Spree in future years, and community members can contribute by sponsoring a student at https://sfnd.io/backtoschool.

Lund and Terry also mentioned other activities the foundation is engaged with and you can hear all about that in the podcast below.