Yoobi Highlight: Dave Smith
It’s all about the Give! This week we are highlighting our incredible partner, Kids in Need Foundation, and kicking it off with Executive Director Dave Smith.
With more than 30 years in the school supplies and office products industry, Dave Smith brings great knowledge to the Kids In Need Foundation as its Executive Director. Dave was there when the Foundation was established in 1995. Over the years he served as a volunteer on the Board of Directors, chairing the Board for two years. In 2006, the Board asked Dave to assume the Executive Director’s position for the Foundation, which he did, and has led Kids In Need toward increased national awareness for the purpose of serving more children in need. Dave is a native of New Jersey, lived in Minneapolis for more than 30 years, and now lives in Phoenix.
How did you first become involved in KINF?
I was a Kids In Need Foundation board member initially, and I developed a passion for seeing that students in schools have the basic supplies they need to learn. Kids are our biggest asset and the future of our country. These are our future leaders. It is unfair that some students show up to school without the basic tools they need to learn. If we showed up at our jobs without telephones and computers, for example, no one would expect us to get our jobs done. School supplies give kids the confidence they need to start the school year off on the best foot.
What was your favorite school supply growing up?
I always enjoyed pencils because I love to write. Although my kids would tell you my penmanship is not the best.
What was your favorite subject in school?
Science. I have always been interested in scientific experiments and biology.
What is your favorite Yoobi supply?
I really like the ballpoint retractable pens in blue with black ink, because they are useful and they are easy to find on my desk.
What was it like the first time you entered a classroom event?
I will never forget the first time I attended a giving event where kids received school supplies. We were in Chicago, and we gave kids a few basic supplies in a warehouse. The looks on their faces were priceless. They had big smiles and showed total gratitude. School supplies are so simple, many kids take them for granted. But when you have never owned anything new before, and you receive a backpack filled with new school supplies, there is a sense of pride and joy that comes over these students. It is so meaningful to see.
