Devon Prep Students Collect School Supplies for Needy Families

Aug. 30, 2012 - PRLog -- As the summer comes to an end school age children throughout the Delaware Valley are getting their school supplies in order. For nearly 200 families in North Philadelphia getting the necessary school supplies was made a little easier with help from Devon Preparatory School’s Christian Action Program (CAP).

Throughout the summer CAP collected over 4500 items from Devon Prep families for St. Elizabeth’s Community Center in North Philadelphia. Among the items were notebooks, pencils, crayons, pens, folders, backpacks, copybooks, erasers, index cards and just about anything else needed to start school.  

The donations were sorted, counted, boxed and delivered to St. Elizabeth’s by several members of CAP including Senior Kevin Fulmer of Broomall, and Juniors Mike McKenna of Exton and James O’Shea of Drexell Hill. The supplies were then distributed to school age children during St. Elizabeth’s annual Community Block Party. More than 200 families attend the block party each year.

Upon receiving the supplies, Mrs. Helen Brown of St. Elizabeth’s Community Center said, “These boys can never really know how much all their hard work and kindness means to us.”

The Christian Action Program is a student-run organization dedicated to improving the surrounding community through ongoing acts of service. One of the most active programs at Devon Prep, CAP consists of students from grades six to twelve. The club serves several purposes; while attending to the spiritual and physical needs of those in the area, it also offers students a unique opportunity to take roles of responsibility and use their skills to accomplish meaningful work.  In addition to the School Supplies Drive CAP also sponsors a Thanksgiving Food Drive to benefit St. Elizabeth’s Community Center, a lock-in event to raise funds for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, a Blood Drive in partnership with the American Red Cross, several Clothing Drives, and a Christmas party for residents of St. Edmond’s Home.

Devon Prep is a private, Catholic, college preparatory school for young men in grades six to 12 conducted by the Piarist Fathers. Students from the five county Philadelphia area attend Devon Prep which is located on a 20 acre campus in Devon, PA. Devon Prep’s Fall Open House is scheduled for Sunday, October 14 from 1 to 4 PM. Scholarship / Entrance Exams will be administered on Saturday, October 20 and Sunday, October 28 beginning at 8:30 AM. For more information call 610-688-7337, email admissions@devonprep.com, visit www.devonprep.com or www.facebook.com/devonprep.