It all started 19 years ago when SA YES first distributed free school supplies to a few schools on the south side of San Antonio.
Today, the San Antonio Youth Educational Support (SA YES) Foundation is the largest distributor of FREE school supplies in Texas!
When the school bell rang for the first time for the new school year on Monday, SA YES was there beginning their annual distribution of school supplies. Thirty-seven elementary schools and nearly 23,000 kids will benefit this year alone.
This year’s school supplies kit is loaded with everything a child needs to be effective in class; notebooks, folders, coloring crayons, paper, pens, pencils, rulers, erasers and a personal box of Kleenex (courtesy of Methodist Children’s Hospital).
“Helping kids get the most out of their education requires the right supplies, that is why my family and I are proud to support this effort,” stated SA YES supporter and local attorney Thomas J Henry.
PM Group CEO Bob Wills joined with the Richard & Lana Breakie family to launch SA YES two decades ago. Today, Wills serves as the SA YES board chairmen.
“When we started this 501(c) nonprofit foundation 20 years ago, we never imagined we would become the single largest school supplies provider to area kids. We knew we had to help educate our future workforce in any way we could, but this is unfathomable to look back and see how far SA YES has come,” Wills stated.
SA YES executive director Danielle Gunter and her staff have two primary job responsibilities; raise money to buy the school supplies AND play Santa Clause with those school supplies. “I have a great job that improves the lives of so many children. You should see their faces when we give them their personal box of school supplies, it’s like Christmas to many of the children,” Ms. Gunter said.
The organization is very fortunate to have many generous supporters and sponsors, including Santikos Theatres, Thomas J Henry, Schlitterbahn, Methodist Hospitals, the San Antonio Express-News and virtually every San Antonio area TV & Radio outlet.
“We are very blessed to have everyone’s generous support,” Wills added.
For more information ABOUT SA YES, go to www.sayes.org
