Courtney Brockmeyer, the founder and CEO of the Sydney Paige Foundation, recognizes the importance of education and the necessity of school supplies to achieve academic success in the classroom.
This is why the foundation's primary goal is to provide low-income communities with quality school supplies, including backpacks, pencils, paper, folders, scissors, rulers, and other essential items.
To truly understand the needs of these students and their families, Courtney spent time interviewing teachers, social workers, and leaders from other nonprofits working in similar spaces.
"A lot of the students have very little to no supplies, often carrying their items in trash bags. If they're fortunate enough to own a backpack, these are usually the result of low-quality donations or are passed down second-hand," says Courtney. "Many of them come to school without lunch and have to walk long distances to school because they don't have transportation. Their parents, sometimes single mothers, are busy working to support their family as much as they can."
Providing students with quality supplies not only helps them become more prepared but also gives them more confidence. "If we only give students low-quality supplies, they will think that's all they deserve," she says.
Courtney believes that education is the number one route out of poverty. Yet, data shows that low-income students are six times more likely to drop out of school before graduating from high school. She became aware of these challenges at an early age. Her mom was a third-grade teacher at a Title 1 elementary school. Courtney often heard stories of students struggling, feeling helpless, and lacking self-worth.
Providing school supplies is a significant step in helping to prevent this from happening. Students are also encouraged to remember that they can help others as they get older and become successful themselves.
Courtney shared a heartwarming story during a corporate pack event, when a CEO at an incubating firm paused the room to tell his employees that he had once been that kid who was given a backpack, and that it had given him a new sense of self-confidence to get to where he is today.
The foundation was named after Courtney's kids to honor them and show them that women can be CEOs too. With a background in business, including her stint at Nestlé, Courtney leveraged her expertise. Nestlé later became the foundation's first corporate partner, participating in "pack outs" where employees write notes of encouragement for students and pack school supplies into Sydney Paige backpacks.
Since then, the foundation has expanded its impact through partnerships with other corporate entities, such as Google and Proactiv. Over 150,000 backpacks and 3.4 million school supplies have been donated to students to help them throughout their educational journey.
"The look on their faces when they receive these supplies is absolute joy," Courtney says. "At one event, a mother wept when watching her son color a picture with his new crayons, stating that she'd never seen him work so hard on something."
The foundation, established in 2013 with just three people, has since accomplished incredible work. Committed to making a broader impact, the foundation is exploring ways to enhance sustainability, including reducing packaging and waste in its products.
Looking ahead, Courtney hopes to expand support services in mental health and literacy. The foundation has already initiated book borrowing and ownership programs for this purpose. The foundation also plans to launch a student design contest, inviting young people to create their own backpack designs and help bring them to life.
The Foundation is hosting the "Color Of Impact' benefit in October. Visit Sydneypaige.org/