Britepaths seeks donations for students

Britepaths is asking the community to help provide 2,500 students with new backpacks and school supplies.

The backpacks will be distributed to students with identified needs in the Justice and Fairfax high school pyramids, including Glen Forest Elementary School, Bailey’s Upper Elementary, and Justice High School.

Donations can be made to Britepaths online by Aug. 31. A $25 donation will ensure a student will have the supplies they need to succeed in school.

Britepaths, a Fairfax-based nonprofit, has partnered with Campus Survival Kits to purchase supplies at a deep discount.

Several companies and organizations are sponsoring students through this program. The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Fairfax, for example, is cosponsoring students at Bailey’s Upper Elementary School. The Community Foundation for Northern Virginia/Avalon Charitable Fund provided a generous grant to support the program.

“It is incredible to think about the fact that Fairfax County is one of the five wealthiest counties in the country, and yet, one in 14 children in our community lives in poverty,” says Britepaths Executive Director Lisa Whetzel. “For the families of students at our partner schools who are having trouble paying rent and putting food on the table, the prospect of finding funds to purchase school supplies is stressful.”

Community members who sponsor students in our Back to School campaign are “helping young people whose lives can be stressful start off the school year with confidence, dignity, and the tools they need to succeed,” Whetzel said.

Donations can also be mailed to Britepaths at 3959 Pender Drive, Suite 200, Fairfax, VA 22030. Write “BTS23” in the memo line. For more information, contact Britepaths at 703-273-8829 or [email protected].