The tenth annual ‘Class Act School Supply Drive,’ hosted by WISN 12 and The Salvation Army raised $53,236 this year. The long-standing campaign puts essential classroom supplies into the hands of children in need across Milwaukee and Waukesha counties. Viewers of WISN 12 submitted donations online, sent money via text, and called in contributions through a phone bank. This initiative will help thousands of students who could use extra support prior to starting school.
“It’s heartbreaking to think that kids could be attending their first day and not have what they need to learn,” said Jan Wade, president and general manager of WISN 12. “Thankfully, our viewers made sure that thousands of students in our area will not be put in that situation.”
For the tenth annual event, WISN 12 and The Salvation Army partnered on the fundraising effort to help local kids. Through donations collected from Aug. 4 through Aug. 15, children will now have basic supplies like pens, pencils, crayons, markers, highlighters, glue sticks, and erasers. The 2023 campaign amounts to more than 2,100 backpacks being stuffed with classroom essentials for area students.
“When we launched the campaign a decade ago, we had hoped that it would have a significant impact,” said Wade. “The results are humbling. There have been so many kids, so many families, who have benefited from the generosity of our community through this initiative.” Since the ‘Class Act School Supply Drive’ started in 2013, approximately $563,000 has been collected in donations. The decade-long effort equates to more than 33,000 backpacks delivered to students in need across southeastern Wisconsin.
