Thanks to the generosity of children and their parents, and the charitable efforts of The Avenue Peachtree City, every Fayette County student will have the school supplies needed to start the year off right.

This summer the shopping center sponsored Camp Avenue for children ages 3-10 during the months of June and July. The camp was a complimentary, interactive event for kids and families to come together for safe, fun and educational arts and entertainment. At every session, campers were asked to bring school supplies to benefit the school system’s CARE (Children at Risk in Education) program, which helps students in need in Fayette’s schools. An average of 200 campers attended the camp each week and donated approximately 1,200 various school supplies including notebook paper, composition books, crayons, glue, backpacks, scissors, pens and pencils.

“These are all supplies that our students can use and they will be distributed to those students who don’t have the resources to purchase them. We are very grateful to The Avenue for the hard work and effort that went into making this fundraiser so successful. Because of their efforts, no child will have to feel different because he or she was not able to purchase supplies for school,” says Karen Spangler, coordinator of CARE for Fayette County Schools.

This is the second consecutive year the Avenue has sponsored the camp and collected school supplies for CARE. Kim Tanalgo-Minshew, marketing manager for Atlanta Avenues, worked with Spangler to get a list of supplies needed for the start of the school year.

“We were very pleased with the results. We asked participants to make a donation but it was not required. The people in this community are very generous and want to help when asked. We want to thank all of our campers who participated,” says Tanalgo-Minshew.

The camp is just one fundraiser The Avenue sponsors to benefit students assisted by the school system’s CARE program. The shopping center collects donations throughout the year by sponsoring children’s photos for various holidays and events. The photos are free but shoppers usually make a monetary donation, says Tanalgo-Minshew. Each photo shoot raises approximately $200 but Tanalgo -Minshew says the goal is to reach a four-figure total this year.

“We are very thankful for everything The Avenue does for us throughout the year. A $200 donation goes a long way toward helping a child. It can purchase an after school scholarship, a tutorial scholarship or cover the insurance premium for Peachcare for Kids,” says Spangler.

Every dollar received by CARE goes directly to support children in need in Fayette’s schools. More information on CARE can be found on the Fayette County Public Schools website, www.fcboe.org. Anyone interested in making a donation to the program can contact Karen Spangler, 770-460-3990.

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