
More than 90,000 children in the St. Louis metro area face the beginning of the school year without necessary supplies - basics like pencils and paper. And while sharing is a good thing, it doesn't work so well for school supplies.
KidSmart, a local non-profit, has been working since 2002 to collect supplies for needy kids, and one of its major giving campaigns, Push for Pencils, begins Aug. 1.
Through Push for Pencils, KidSmart collected and distributed nearly 500,000 supplies and $70,000 last year for school children in need. This year the campaign runs August 1-31. Businesses throughout the St. Louis metro area act as drop-off points throughout the month, including Whole Foods, Crown Vision and Commerce Bank locations. (To find a drop-off location near you, go to the locator page on the Push for Pencils web site and enter your zip code.)
Organizations and individuals can also hold one-day events to help collect supplies. For example, American Family is sponsoring a "Stuff the Bus" event on Saturday, August 7 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Office Depot, 4045 Veterans Memorial Parkway in St. Peters, to collect supplies for Push for Pencils. Many similar events are scheduled throughout the month.
So, there are many ways to get involved, whether it's dropping off supplies, volunteering at a one-day event, hosting your own drive, or forming your own team to collect supplies throughout the month. The KidsSmart Push for Pencils web site gives you all the information you need to get as involved as you'd like. You can download a playbook for your event or a toolkit for your team, and participate in forum discussions with other team leaders. The team that collects the most supplies will win an ice cream party for up to 50 people. But the real winners will be kids who will face the new school year with a full backpack, ready to learn.
By Julia Bollman, publisher of SmartParenting
Celebrating the history, culture, and people of Japan, the Japanese Festival at the Missouri Botanical Garden is one of the largest and oldest festivals of its kind in the United States. Your family can enjoy guided walking tours, bonsai, cooking, martial arts and origami demonstrations, sumo wrestling, and special activities for kids.
Wagon rides, live entertainment, great festival foods, a petting zoo and much more make this an apple pickin' good time for the whole family. There will be pony rides, a children's carnival, opportunities to feed goats and other farm animals, caramel apples, funnel cakes and more.
See the Zoo's California sea lions perform acrobatic and athletic feats, including Olympic-style dives on a high-diving platform, flipper walks, frisbee tosses and plenty of surprises. While on stage with the sea lions, the Zoo's trainers explain sea lion behavior and positive-reinforcement training, in addition to the need for conserving the sea lion's ocean habitat.
See the Purina Incredible Dog Team perform extraordinary feats of athleticism and skill right here in St. Louis at Union Station this summer and early fall. Performances are free and take place at the Purina Performance Plaza in front of the St. Louis Wheel Thursdays through Sundays at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.