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Currency Exchange Foundation Will Surprise Needy Students With Supplies

By Wendell Hutson | August 29, 2014 5:33am
 The Illinois Currency Exchange Charitable Foundation will surprise students at two elementary schools on Sept. 2, 2014, with free school supplies.
The Illinois Currency Exchange Charitable Foundation will surprise students at two elementary schools on Sept. 2, 2014, with free school supplies.
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D. Williams Public Relations Group

ENGLEWOOD — For the third year the Illinois Currency Exchange Charitable Foundation will surprise every student at two elementary schools with a school supply kit.

The morning surprise will come Tuesday, which is the first day of school for Chicago Public Schools. One school is in Englewood with 400 students and the other school is in West Chatham with 350 students. Both schools were chosen from nominations submitted to the foundation for its Back 2 School program.

"Our purpose of awarding a school supply kit filled with various supplies, based on a student's grade level, is to ensure that students have what they need on the first day," said Matthew Kurtzman, executive director of the foundation. "The two schools chosen have students mostly from low-income households."

Nomination forms for 2015 will be available on the foundation's website from mid-January to July, said Kurtzman. Anyone can nominate a school and an essay explaining why the school should be chosen for free school supplies is part of the nomination form.

The winning essay for the Englewood school read in part, "being located in Englewood, which is many times portrayed by the media as being synonymous with violence and negative activities, [our] school continues to shine."

The West Chatham essay read in part, "many of our families our low-income and the start of the school year can be very overwhelming for them. The purchase of school supplies too often come as a burden or fall second/last to buying other necessities."

The foundation was created in 2010 by the Community Currency Exchange Association of Illinois, which represents more than 300 Currency Exchanges in Illinois, and members collect change from the public during the summer to help purchase school supplies for the program, according to Kurtzman.

"By providing supplies on the first day of class we are helping them get a leg-up and start their year on a high note," he added.

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