| 2003: CPS School Supply Drive |
 2003 - Jalen joined Chicago Board of Education President Michael Scott
on August 14, at Herzl Elementary School, to kick-off a back-to-school
school supply drive for needy students in Chicago's public schools. "I don't want to see any of our students starting at a deficit because of a lack of school supplies," said Scott. The supply drive is an effort to help all students meet their needs. Eighty five percent of CPS students are from low-income families. At Herzl elementary school, 97 percent of students qualify for free lunch based on their family's annual income. Bags filled with school supplies donated by Office Depot and Dominick's Finer Foods were distributed to the students. "Let's work together to get all of our kids fully equipped for school on September 2," said Rose. The Jalen Rose Foundation is partnering with CPS on its supply drive. The Rose Foundation hosted a celebrity basketball game on Sunday, August 17. Fans were asked to bring school supply donations to the game for a chance to win a signed Jalen Rose jersey to launch the initiative. The supply drive was part of the CPS Back-to-School Campaign designed to provide information to parents and the community on matters such as transportation, literacy, safety, early registration, and immunizations and to encourage students to return on time the first day of school, September 2nd. The Chicago Public Schools is the nation's third-largest school district and the second-largest employer in Illinois, with more than 46,000 employees. The school system operates 602 schools and serves more than 438,000 students. |
