Page 101 - 2018 B2SI Recap Binder
P. 101

since the 2013 closings of 47 underutilized
Chicago Public Schools [CPS] elementary schools—the largest number of schools closed in one year by any district in the country at the time—public scrutiny of the school system’s budget shortages, policy overhauls, and overturning leadership has only intensified.
Amidst this turmoil, the day-to-day challenges confronting students affected by poverty can fade from focus all too easily. For more fortunate students, it might be inconceivable that these pervasive cracks in the system and a host of other factors can deprive students from low-income families of resources as simple as pencils and notebooks.
With this chasm between underserved students and their peers in mind, Matthew Kurtzman founded Back 2 School Illinois [B2SI]. “The need is staggering,” he says, adding that 1.2 million students in Illinois come from low-income households that often cannot afford the basic school supplies their kids need.
Originally known as the Illinois Currency Exchange Charitable Foundation, Back 2 School Illinois became a 501c (3) nonprofit in 2010 and has continued to grow in the ensuing years. At the heart of the organization’s efforts is its free school supply distribution program, the largest one in the state. The program helps kids develop the confidence they need for bright, successful futures, while lessening the financial burden felt by their families. “There’s a whole self-esteem thing that comes into play when kids don’t have the basic supplies they need to succeed in the classroom,” Kurtzman says, highlighting how discouraging it can be for students who don’t have access to the resources that students from wealthier families enjoy. “When a kid goes back to school and they don’t have everything they need, it can be very demoralizing.”
Kurtzman has a long history working with nonprofits. He organized a walk-a-thon while in college that raised $100,000 for the American Cancer Society, and during a twenty-year career in marketing he encouraged clients to participate in community outreach activities. By the time he started B2SI, he had a strong sense of education’s profound importance in society at large. “I just think education is a universal concern because we’re all affected by it, directly or indirectly.” Given today’s polarizing political climate, Kurtzman says, a quality education is more important than ever. “So many of the problems we’re seeing: the divisiveness in our society and the inability of people of different mindsets to have constructive dialogue all goes back to education.”
Back 2 School Illinois’ work to create and support educational opportunities that enrich the lives of underserved students may empower some community members to want to help. Those interested can visit B2SI.org to make a donation or explore other ways to get involved.
B2SI distributes its signature Back 2 School kits (filled with core school supplies children need) in partnership with more than a dozen government agencies and community organizations, including the YMCA of Metro Chicago, Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago. JCC Chicago, Operation Homefront & the USO. In the past year alone, B2SI helped to distribute 34,200 of these kits—over one million school supplies in total.
Continued expansion is in-the-works at B2SI. Later this year, they plan to begin a financial literacy program, in which volunteers from sponsoring financial institutions will help students understand the basics of sound budgeting and thoughtful financial planning.
B2SI even has an eye on areas beyond Illinois’ borders, with the recent creation of Back 2 School America. “We’re starting to test the waters a bit,” Kurtzman says of the expansion into other states. “We’re talking with a potential distribution partner in Texas and did a program up in Milwaukee last year with Operation Homefront,” a non-profit that provides resources to military families. A collaboration with Bernie’s Book Bank to include books in B2SI’s school supply kits is also on the horizon.
B2SI’s mission clearly is to step up to help fill the gaps of a poor state economy and help alleviate challenges to our schools and low-income families. Through its events and volunteer opportunities, B2SI has established a base of dedicated volunteers. And there’s no need to look further than B2SI’s own alums for examples of how “giving back” and community service can inspire. About a month ago, Kurtzman heard from the first recipient of a college scholarship awarded by B2SI, a young woman who now lives and works in Philadelphia. “She said that she’s so


































































































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