No Backpack Left Behind


Photo of supplies
Over 18,000 pencils, notebooks, glue, crayons and other supplies, along with 964 backpacks made their way from the AIEF warehouse to the Cheyenne River Reservation for a large scale school supply distribution. These Backpack and Basics items were a result of generous donations from both individual donors providing financial support as well as product donations. These contributions help to ensure that Native American students will be well equipped for their first day of school.

AIEF Program Partner, Chip Gunville, was pleased when she was able to request enough school supplies for the 1000+ student body attending kindergarten through high school in the community of Eagle Butte. Once the supplies arrived, she was equally pleased with the quality of the items. She was delighted that AIEF provided different supplies for each of the grade levels she planned to serve, ensuring each child had the specific supplies they needed on the first day of school.

Photo of supplies
On the first day of registration, the doors opened at nine o’clock sharp and a large green registration sign ushered parents to their first stop of the day: The Registration Room. Parents were seated in student sized desks, facing the blackboard and were provided the paperwork to complete on each child entering school. Most families had already anticipated the mountain of paperwork typical of registering children for school, so most arrived without their children. This was a smart move, especially for those parents registering more than one child!

Once the paperwork was complete and turned in, parents were given a voucher and then sent to the lunch room to pick out their Backpack and Basics supplies. Three parent involvement coordinators greeted each parent warmly, some with hugs, some with handshakes, but all with smiles as they took the parents’ vouchers. There were four stations set up with the various grade levels and the families had several colors and styles of bags to select from. Some parents just selected the color they thought their child wanted and a few made a quick phone call to their children and asked them which color they preferred. Many parents shared it would cost them at least $40-$50 dollars to equip each child with these same supplies, not including fuel costs to the nearest discounted store (90 miles, one way).

Customer satisfaction was paramount and the parent involvement coordinators even peeked into the bags to make sure the items were gender appropriate (one young man didn’t appreciate getting a Hannah Montana ruler in his backpack earlier in the day). If there were any "offensive" items, they would be switched out (blue notebooks for pink...Hannah Montana rulers for Charlie Brown, etc.). They aimed to please! One parent came in early on the first day because she was worried the supplies might run out. Her concerns were unfounded because even those parents unable to attend the early registration would receive the Backpack and Basics items once they enrolled their children so "No Backpack is Left Behind."

Dr. Slocum was asked the morning of the second day whether their goals of increasing early enrollment was met. He had been provided the numbers by Connie Knight, one of the parent involvement coordinators, and he was very pleased. His appreciation was evident and he was most delighted that every child would receive these supplies and "start the first day of school on a level playing field."


Thanks to you and other caring supporters, Native American children in schools across the United States received the supplies they needed to help them succeed. You are making a difference in a child's life.

Our Mission: Serving immediate needs. Supporting long-term solutions.
Our Vision: Strong, self-sufficient Native American communities.

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