Ardmore Young Professionals have been busy giving back to the community.
“That’s what our whole purpose is at AYP — to give back to our community,” said Leslie Hicks, service committee chairwoman, Thursday.
Together with Ardmore Village, AYP is collecting school supplies that will be given to students at Ardmore and Plainview schools.
The supply drive kicked off Thursday when members of the AYP steering committee and Ardmore Village residents gathered their first batch of donations.
This is the second year the two groups have worked together in the school supply drive.
“We’ve been gathering supplies for years. It works because you all have the good legs to deliver the supplies,” Ardmore Village Activity director Joy Pfau told the AYP members Thursday.
Ardmore Village donated school supplies to Court Appointed Special Advocates for several years before joining with AYP.
Both groups mentioned the excitement of back to school shopping and having new supplies to start the year.
“This was a thing that was exciting when we were kids,” Pfau said.
“All of us, young and old, remember what it was like to shop for school supplies. It still means something when a kid walks in empty handed and if we can alleviate that, then we’ve done a great thing,” Hicks said.
AYP began an annual school supply drive three years ago.
“We have a few members who are in the education field and they make us aware of where the needs are,” Hicks said.
The drive will be accepting donations at the Ardmore Chamber of Commerce, Ardmore Village and Southern Oklahoma Radio Center.
“The general focus tends to be paper, pencils, crayons, the basics,” Hicks said.
However, the group also looks at the school supply lists, issued by each school, in order to gather particular items.
While the school supply drive started Thursday, summer has not quite ended for some AYP members. After the supply drive kickoff, they donated $500 to the Salvation Army.
Salvation Army Capt. Ernie Hull accepted the check. The money will be used to send youths to Camp Heart O’Hills in Welling, located east of Tahlequah.
In addition, two local children will be attending the Southern Territorial Youth Institute in Florida.
Both camp experiences, plus travel arrangements, are offered to the children free of charge.
“These kids are being given a camp opportunity they wouldn’t have otherwise,” Hull said.
Hull reports that 40 Ardmore area children have attended the Salvation Army camp this summer.
“There is an Olympic-size swimming pool, canoeing and crafts. They learn life skills as well,” Hull said.
Jennifer Lindsey, 221-6526
