Give4Grades school supply drive expands to 58 backpacks, 10,500 items in Sherwood Park

Give4Grades, a school supply collection drive launched by Sherwood Park tutoring company Tutor Teach, collected 58 backpacks and over 10,500 school supplies this year—a significant expansion from its first two years.

Established in 2020 by Tutor Teach founders Lara and Greg Courtepatte, Give4Grades launched during the COVID-19 pandemic when many families and students faced additional educational and financial challenges. The first year yielded approximately 400 school supplies; last year, about 1,200. This year's collection marks a jump to 10,500-plus items.

Twenty volunteers gathered Thursday, July 30, to organize donations. Tutor Teach works with Bissell Centre to distribute supplies to families.

"What we found was, while everybody wants the best for their children, not everyone knows how to put it in front of them," Courtepatte said. "We talk to parents every single day, 365 days a year. You learn the nuances of where people's heads are at, where parents' and guardians' heads are at, where they don't know how to navigate the school system, or they feel insecure or unsure on how to navigate the school system in the best interest of their child."

Courtepatte said the program fills a gap many schools cannot address. "While the classrooms are doing what they can to provide these types of materials to students, they are limited in resources and support and financial capacity. Doing something like this is a gap filler. It's supporting students beyond that initiative, beyond what the classrooms can do."

Jonathan Mackareth, development officer of community partnerships with Bissell Centre, said such community partnerships are essential. "We are able to journey along with the families and journey along with the kiddos, but we can't necessarily provide everything that they need. That's where community partnerships come in. We don't do what we do in a silo."