Continuing our mission to support education in our local communities throughout the country, Newrez celebrated its fourth annual Back to School Campaign, collecting countless school supplies, purchasing new books from local bookstores for literacy education, and raising a phenomenal $13,084 to support our six nonprofit partners!
Back-to-School Initiatives by our Community Engagement Councils:
- Newrez hosted a speaker series this summer with three-time Newrez NOW grant recipient, Book Fairies®! The mission of Book Fairies® is to source and redistribute books to under-resourced communities on Long Island and internationally. This season they hosted a book drive through bookshop.org®, supporting independent book sellers in the process. We donated 40 children’s books with diverse representation to support childhood literacy!
Our Newrez NOW Grant Program invites employees to nominate their favorite local nonprofit for Newrez funding. This program has had great success since launch in 2020, with over $600,000 worth of grants distributed to employee nominated nonprofits. Our Speaker Series works in conjunction with the Grant Program, as we invite previous nonprofit grant recipients (and the employee who nominated them) to speak to our workforce about their mission, programs, and how to get involved with their organization. - The Columbia, MD Community Engagement Council volunteered with Exchangeree: Gizmos and Gadgets Galore in support of the Education Foundation of Baltimore County Public Schools. The Columbia Council donated $2,600+ worth of school supplies at the Exchangree, sorted and organized the teacher supply shop, and assisted in a teacher shopping day where they helped 108 educators find all of the classroom goodies they need!
- The Coppell, TX Community Engagement Council visited three military bases in partnership with Operation Homefront® to hand out backpacks and water bottle pouches to children of active-duty military families! The Coppell Council also held weekly “Snacks for Backpacks” fundraiser at the office throughout July. The fundraiser included a variety of sweet treats for employees while benefitting Operation Homefront®.
- The Fort Washington, PA Community Engagement Council hosted an onsite volunteer event where the office came together to fill 35 backpacks with school supplies for the Ambler Boys and Girls Club! The Ambler Club is a longtime partner of the Fort Washington, PA office and we’re excited to stay involved as they open a brand-new Clubhouse. The Council also put together a supply drive to assist local teachers at underserved schools.
- The Greenville, SC Community Engagement Council supported the United Way® of Greenville County School Tools campaign by granting $2,000 to provide school supplies for kids in Greenville County to start the school year strong!
- The Houston, TX Community Engagement Council volunteered with BEAR: Be A Resource to CPS Kids at their warehouse where the volunteers donated and packed backpacks with school supplies. Additionally, the volunteers wrote encouraging notes so the students could start the year confidently! The Houston Council also hosted a “Summer Jam” at the Houston office in support of the Back-to-School drive. The event included carnival games, food, tables hosted by our Employee Resource Groups, and fun for all who joined!
- The Tempe, AZ Community Engagement Council held a school supply drive and an on-site volunteer event for Treasures 4 Teachers®. Thirty volunteers assembled 2,319 journals and sorted 7,840 blocks for educators in Arizona! This single event will save teachers hundreds of hours of prep time, letting them focus on what’s most important: their students.
With school back in session, this closes out our beloved 4th annual campaign. Our workforce demonstrates time and time again that they care fiercely for each other and their community.
Book Fairies® is a registered trademark of The Book Fairies, Inc. Bookshop.org® is a registered trademark of Bookshop, Inc. Operation Homefront® is a registered trademark of Operation Homefront. United Way® is a registered trademark of United Way Worldwide. Treasures 4 Teachers® is a registered trademark of Treasures 4 Teachers, Incorporated. None of the above-mentioned companies are affiliated with Newrez LLC.
