The Best Gift is to Give
A Special Holiday note from Yoobi's Chief Giving Officer:
This holiday season, we want to share with you why we believe giving is often more rewarding than receiving...
Earlier this year, we received a letter from Crayons to Computers, a Kids In Need Affiliate that ensures our supplies go to the schools that need them most in Cincinnati and surrounding communities. In an effort to bring Cincinnati communities together and instill a sense of philanthropy among Cincinnati youth, Crayons to Computers connected with Seven Hills High School students to have them join on giving trips to local elementary schools in need. About 20 high school students helped deliver hundreds of Yoobi Classroom Packs to students at over 11 elementary schools. These 20 high school students, on their own time, and with their own hands, helped ensure that thousands of kids who would have otherwise either gone to class empty-handed, or had nothing at home to do homework with, had a very different experience this year - one where they had their very own sets of pencils, markers, crayons, glue sticks, and more.
A 3rd grade teacher at John P. Parker Elementary, Ms. Samantha Bilfield, explained to the high school students at Seven Hills, why the delivery of these supplies had been so impactful to both the teachers and the students:
"What many do not realize is that there are several of our students who do not have any school supplies at home. This means that some of my students are incapable of completing their homework assignments. In years past, I have had to purchase school supplies for those students. Through Yoobi kits, I am ever so grateful to have the supplies my students need right at their fingertips! I do not have to pay close attention to who needs what because every single child has been provided with classroom supplies. After school, teachers are busy people. We have meetings to attend, clubs to run, committees to meet with, and families to get home to. Many teachers would otherwise be unable to receive a Yoobi box due to time constraints. The selfless action by the students of Seven Hills ensures that all classrooms are receiving the necessary school supplies needed to run an elementary classroom. We absolutely appreciate the students at Seven Hills!
It is stories like these that create lasting impressions on both the givers and receivers of our supplies. Everyone who participates on a Yoobi give is changed in some way because of it. This is never more true than when it is kids themselves who are participating in the giving. Both those that give and those that receive, even though they may have never met or known each others’ names before, become bonded in some way. And it is this bond that builds a community based on care, appreciation, and compassion.
We hope that as more and more people across the country experience and participate in our giving - starting with those that make a choice to buy Yoobi, to those that deliver and those that receive our Yoobi Classroom Packs - we will go from building communities of care to a nation of caring communities.
This Yoobi holiday story is a reminder that during this season of receiving gifts, sometimes the best way to get, is to give.
Happy Holidays from your Yoobi Family.
