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First Day Project Collecting School Supplies

For the 14th year, school districts in the Quad Cities are working together on the First Day Project. Each year it collects donations of school supplies for low income students.

One of the organizers, Holly Sparkman, says the First Day Project helps about 20,000 students each year. 

 "And it helps the school districts work together to better facilitate the overall need because all of our school districts are a little dfifferent in size and enrollment . And we found that working together on large school supply drive events, that we get a better result and everybody gets what they need."

Participating districts include Rock Island, Moline, East Moline, United Township, Bettendorf, Davenport, and Pleasant Valley.

Sparkman says basic supplies are always needed, such as pens, pencils, and paper. But they also hope for some donations of headphones.

"As we have assessments in schools that we use technology for, we have a need for headphones so that students can focus on their testing and not be distracted by other outside factors."

Even if students are not in school, and taking their classes online, at home, they still need school supplies.

 
The First Day Project continues this month, with each district accepting donations, and several companies and organizations sponsoring collection sites.

A native of Detroit, Herb Trix began his radio career as a country-western disc jockey in Roswell, New Mexico (“KRSY, your superkicker in the Pecos Valley”), in 1978. After a stint at an oldies station in Topeka, Kansas (imagine getting paid to play “Louie Louie” and “Great Balls of Fire”), he wormed his way into news, first in Topeka, and then in Freeport Illinois.