Parish-wide School Supply Drive in 10th Year   Livingston Assessor Says Program Helps Hundreds of Local Families

            LIVINGSTON, La. – Livingston Parish Assessor Jeff Taylor, along with several business sponsors and community
volunteers, will once again help hundreds of needy children in the Livingston Parish Public School system with their school supplies for the 2010-2011 school year.

This year’s school supply drive marks the tenth year that Taylor has sponsored the ASSESS the NEED program, which has collected more than $380,000 worth of supplies for Livingston Parish students to date.  He anticipates needing nearly $40,000 in supplies to meet this year’s need.

“This program has helped so many children in our parish.  We have received feedback from so many teachers and school counselors that the donations we give to the schools have such a positive influence on the attitudes and behaviors of the students who need the supplies,” Taylor said.

“Clearly, the supplies give these students the tools they need to do their work and be successful in the classroom.  But more than that, these supplies help to send a strong message to these children that they matter and that our communities believe in them.  That is the most powerful aspect of this program,” he said.

Taylor said he anticipates the ASSESS the NEED campaign helping about 2,300 needy children this year.

To meet that need, Taylor said several local businesses have given monetary donations to the program.  Also, nearly 100 volunteers from across the parish will participate in collecting donations for ASSESS the NEED from individual contributors who visit the Wal-Mart stores in Denham Springs and Walker each Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., July 24 to August 8.  Donations of cash and supplies will be accepted, he said.

Donations also can be dropped off during regular work hours, Monday through Thursday, at the Livingston Parish Assessor’s Office, located in the Town of Livingston. 

Taylor said he didn’t fully envision the parish’s need, nor the overwhelming positive response to that need, when he first began the ASSESS the NEED program 10 years ago. 

“The idea grew out of conversations with friends and family members who work in the school system.  They would share stories about how they would purchase supplies out of their own paychecks to give to needy children,” he said.  “I thought we could raise enough money to help a couple hundred kids.”

“But when we saw how great the need was and we shared that with the public, the out-pouring of support was just overwhelming.  Over the years, we have helped thousands of families in need,” Taylor said.  “We’re just so proud to be in our tenth year of doing something that makes such a positive difference in the lives of so many.” 

He noted that five years ago, ASSESS the NEED was also called on to raised money and supplies for students who were displaced by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.  Immediately following that year’s local campaign, the drive collected another 6,000 book bags filled with school supplies.  Many of the supplies came from out of state.  He said all of those supplies were distributed to students in Livingston, Tangipahoa, St. Tammany, Plaquemines, Assumption, and Calcasieu parishes, as well as Jasper, Texas. Taylor estimates the contributions for that campaign alone exceeded a value of $100,000.

Taylor said basic school supplies – notebooks, paper, scissors, glue, crayons, markers, construction paper, pencils, ink pens, rulers, pocket folders and book bags – can be purchased by the ASSESS the NEED program for about $20 to $25 for each child.  Bulk purchases and tax-free advantages help to hold the cost down, Taylor said.

Taylor said all the supplies will be sorted and given to each parish school prior to the start of classes on August 6.  “This way, the students can receive their supplies on the first day,” he said.

“It’s important that our students begin the school year on a positive.  Doing so can set the tone for their success for the rest of the year,” Taylor said.  “Meeting that early deadline creates a ‘leap of faith’ situation for our program, because we don’t have all the money needed at the time that we order everything.  But the good news is that we’ve never come up short, and we’re counting on the generosity of the people of Livingston Parish to make sure this year’s supply purchase is paid in full once again.”

Taylor said there is no application process for assistance from the ASSESS the NEED campaign.  Persons needing help should contact their principals or school counselors.  Officials at each school submit their anticipated need to ASSESS the NEED organizers.  The requested supplies are sorted accordingly, and the individual schools are then responsible for identifying needy children and distributing the supplies to them.

This year’s ASSESS the NEED business and media sponsors include Wal-Mart stores of Denham Springs, Walker, BR-O’Neal Lane and Central; Livingston Parish News; WAFB-TV; The Advocate; Keller Williams Realty; McDonald’s of Baton Rouge; Gilmore & Son Construction; Ferrara Fire Apparatus; Taylor Media Services; Richard Price Contractors; Weyerhauser; Alvin Fairburn & Associates; Livingston Federation of Teachers; Ryan’s Family Steakhouse; AmVets Auxillary Post 68; EATEL; Pelican State Credit Union; Auto-Chlor Services; Entergy of Louisiana; Plantation Management; Bond-Wroten Eye Cline; Forrest Grove Plantation; Pilot Club of Denham Springs; Boyer, Hebert & Abels, Attorneys at Law; Hancock Bank; Redeeming Life; Capital One Bank; Henderson Auctions; Retired Teachers of Livingston Parish; C-Del, Inc.; Lamar Advertising; Team Honda; Team Toyota; Clear Channel Communications; Life Publishing; Dr. Michael Sceroler, DDS; Livingston Kiwanis Club; Unity Prayer Center; Denham Springs Lions Club; M.A. Allen Realty Group; Venessa Lewis Graphic Design; Denham Springs Rotary Club; Mary Lee Donuts of Denham Springs; and Volks Constructors.