Local students got an assist again this year from the volunteers and donors of the Pencil Me In For Kids program. Here’s the recap from the Rotary Club of West Seattle:

The beginning of school year 2022-23 may have been delayed, but the West Seattle Rotary Pencil Me in for Kids (PMIFK) program was able to deliver almost all of the requested supplies before September 7th. This is the 27th year for the PMIFK program.

Rotarian Sue Lindblom of the now retired Illusions Hair Design and her team there began the program in her business. After a few years, it was taken-in by West Seattle Rotary as an annual project. The goal has always been to provide local area public elementary schools with the specific school supplies they know their students will need in the Fall. Each school is different and so no two “Wish Lists” are the same. Twelve schools were contacted and nine chose to participate.

There was considerable support these past few years from the Fauntleroy United Church of Christ members, and also this year from businesses in their area. With the on-going support of Staples at Westwood Village, thanks to Assistant Manager Robert, Rotary received 1,000 school kits along with very deep discounts on all the other items purchased. West Seattle Rotarians were all smiles when delivery days finally arrived and they knew those supplies were going to help local kids through this upcoming school year.

Over two days, the PMIFK Team picked-up most of the supplies at the Westwood Village Staples, delivered them to American Legion Post 160 in West Seattle for sorting into nine school groups, and then delivered eight grouped supplies to Louisa Boren STEM K-8 as a pick-up point for that school and seven other schools (the exception being one delivery directly to Roxhill). Pictured at Boren are (l-r) Andrew Coghill and Rotarians Keith Hughes, John Enger, Martha Sidlo, and Tom Nychay.

For more information on Pencil Me In For Kids or the Rotary Club of West Seattle, go to westseattlerotary.org or send email to pencilkids53@gmail.com.