A report from AFSCME Wisconsin Council 32
When they went back to school this week, many children whose families are being served by Dane County social services carried with them backpacks full of school supplies thanks to area AFSCME members.
AFSCME members who work for Dane County, the city of Madison and other area cities and school districts raised more than $2,000. This was used to provision more than 120 backpacks with still more in the works for children who work directly with Dane County Social Workers.
For more than 15 years, area AFSCME members have put together back-to-school backpacks. For the past three years, AFSCME members have worked directly with the Dane County Social Workers, with Sue DeBuhr of Local 2634 soliciting requests from social workers. The requests were then filled, meaning that backpacks could be specifically tailored to meet the needs of individual students.
This is the first year that the seven area AFSCME units representing employees of Dane County, Municipal and School Districts of Dane County and the City of Madison have worked together on this project.
Noting that other community programs also help kids who need school supplies, Local 720’s Dorothy Ward said AFSCME members wanted to make a real difference for families already facing special challenges.
“We felt the need to give back to our own clients and to help children in the city of Madison and in other Dane County school districts,” said Dorothy Ward.
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