Erroll Reese & Kevin “K-Mac” McClendon, hosts of The Sports Radio Show, present school supplies to Burton Elementary School in Durham at their first ever Backpacks for Teachers donation event in August 2017.
The Sports Shop duo of Reese and K-Mac believe in helping teachers and students succeed and for the second year in a row will host an event to support a local school. Erroll Reese and Kevin “K-Mac” McClendon are bringing back Backpack for Teachers in 2018, hosting a Live Show and donation drive on Wednesday, September 19th from 6:00-9:00am at Neal Middle School in Durham.
The duo wants to support and honor teachers by providing them with backpacks filled with classroom supplies. They solicit donations from the community before and during the Live Show event. The school with whom they partner provides a “Need List” as a guide. Volunteers then help assemble the bags to present to the teachers.
“Most of us would agree that our teachers are underpaid and asked to do too much sometimes (outside of teaching) to take care of our kids,” McClendon explained the impetus of the program. “Teachers are making great sacrifices to groom the future generations.”
Through research K-Mac and Reese discovered:
- Teachers spend on average $500 out of pocket for classroom supplies according to the Education Market Association
- A Communities in Schools survey found that more than 90% of teachers have to buy school supplies to help low-income students whose parents can’t afford basic supplies like pens and notebooks.
- According to WRAL, NC teachers are currently being paid $9,000 less than the national average (35th in the nation an improvement from state ranking of 41st last year).
On the day of the giveaway, Reese and K-Mac highlight teachers and their accomplishments during the Live Show, using it as an opportunity to celebrate the great work these unsung heroes are doing for their students.
Erroll Reese & Kevin “K-Mac” McClendon, hosts of The Sports Radio Show, present school supplies to Burton Elementary School in Durham at their first ever Backpacks for Teachers donation event in August 2017.
“We are proud to partner with the local community to continue growing this program to cover more schools in need in North Carolina,” said McClendon.
Last year the pair helped Burton Elementary School in Durham.
“Through the generosity of The Banks Foundation and support regarding Educational Research from Dr. Catherine Edmonds of the UNC System, we were able to identify Burton Elementary as a school where the students significantly improved their scores in the core competency areas,” explained Reese. “This approach will be used in our 2018 selections as well as future school identifications.”
“The community rallied behind us to ensure that supplies were collected, packed and delivered to these deserving teachers,” McClendon explained.
The Sports Shop hosts have lofty goals.
“We want to grow this program and eventually reach every underserved school in the state of North Carolina,” said McClendon. “We are honored to partner with our community once again to increase the number of teachers we can serve in 2018.”
Tune in to The Sports Shop from 6 to 9am each week day on 620 AM/99.3FM/96.5FM The Buzz to find out more about Backpack For Teachers and to hear Reese and K-Mac talking sports, talking smack, talking life.
Links
SLIDESHOW from the 2017 Backpack For Teachers with The Sports Shop
Erroll Reese & Kevin “K-Mac” McClendon, hosts of The Sports Radio Show, broadcast live from Burton Elementary School in Durham at their first ever Backpacks for Teachers donation event in August 2017.
Erroll Reese & Kevin “K-Mac” McClendon, hosts of The Sports Radio Show, broadcast live from Burton Elementary School in Durham at their first ever Backpacks for Teachers donation event in August 2017.
Erroll Reese & Kevin “K-Mac” McClendon, hosts of The Sports Radio Show, broadcast live from Burton Elementary School in Durham at their first ever Backpacks for Teachers donation event in August 2017.
Erroll Reese & Kevin “K-Mac” McClendon, hosts of The Sports Radio Show, present school supplies to Burton Elementary School in Durham at their first ever Backpacks for Teachers donation event in August 2017.
Erroll Reese & Kevin “K-Mac” McClendon, hosts of The Sports Radio Show, present school supplies to Burton Elementary School in Durham at their first ever Backpacks for Teachers donation event in August 2017.
Erroll Reese & Kevin “K-Mac” McClendon, hosts of The Sports Radio Show, emcee their Backpacks for Teachers donation event at Burton Elementary School in Durham in August 2017.
