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Warren Buffett
Volunteers gathered at the Willow Education Center on Thursday to help distribute hundreds of new backpacks for students in the ABCUSD. The group includes Dina Alcantar, Irene So, Jill Wang, Reeza Gervacio, Pauline Kong, Niki Shah, Josie Troung with LBS Financial, Amanda Criscuolo from Broadview Mortgage, Rachel Holborn with Old Republic. Also in the photo in the center is the groups co-chairman Mark Anthony Ruiz with Century Astro Relators. Randy Economy Photo
By Randy Economy
Students in ABCUSD the ABC Unified School District Education Foundation stuffed hundreds of new backpacks on Thursday in an ongoing campaign to help homeless and low-income students who will be heading back to school right after Labor Day weekend.
Dozens of local volunteers crammed into a Willow Elementary School portable office for the annual event that has during the past three years have handed out more than 3,000 fully supplied backpacks all in a variety of colors.
“Providing backpacking and school supplies for all ABCUSD student as the new school year begins is a goal of the Foundation, and this year the demand to help our low income and homeless students who attend our campuses has unfortunately increased in size,” said Mark Anthony Ruiz who is the co-chair of the Foundations Backpack Initiative.
Ruiz, who is a successful local real estate executive with Century 21 Astro Real Estate, said the project has become a “personal passion” for him and several other local community leaders and volunteers.
Ruiz was joined on Thursday morning with several Cerritos-based businesses including First Choice Bank, Kaiser Permanente, the City of Hawaiian Gardens the Willow Community Center, the ABC Regional PTA Council and the Macerich Corporation/Los Cerritos Center.
“I don’t think community realizes that ABCUSD Families continue to struggle in the challenging economic times,” Ruiz said.
“We want every child to start with the materials he or she needs to succeed in school,” added Chris Apodaca who is the Director of Business Development for Broadview Mortgage and co-chair of the Foundations “Backpack Initiative.”
If any member of the community wants to directly support or contribute to the “Backpack Initiative”, may drop off or send checks in any amount to the ABC Education Foundation, c/o Laura Lowe at 16700 Norwalk Boulevard, Cerritos, CA. 90703; or they may come to the Willow Community Center located at 11733 East 205th Street, Lakewood.