Our third grade Dreamers in Watts recently received a generous donation of backpacks and school supplies from a new supporter of the I Have a Dream Foundation – Los Angeles.  Mike Perrin, owner of Valley Photo Shop in North Hollywood, received a call from a manager of a local Costco who was looking to donate excess inventory of backpacks to a local charity. It turns out that several times a year, Costco stores face excess inventory of goods that have not sold, and those items cannot be returned to the manufacturers, so each store selects a local charity to receive the goods as a donation.   This was our Dreamers’ lucky day!

Mike began asking friends and family if they knew of any local organizations that could use the backpacks and was introduced to Herman Lopez through one of his employees.  Mr. Lopez works with youth and immediately thought of IHADLA, having been involved with us for years.  He felt our third grade Dreamers at 99^th Street Elementary in Watts would be the ideal age for the donation, and as soon as Mike learned about IHADLA, he couldn’t wait to facilitate the donation.

We invited Mike to personally deliver the backpacks to the Dreamers, and he was thrilled.  So on Feb. 28, Mike arrived to 99^th Street Elementary with nearly 100 backpacks, which were all filled with school supplies!

Each Dreamer came through the classroom and received a backpack from Mike.  It was a great day, as our Dreamers love visitors and they love gifts!   Ms. Raquel Alvarado, our program coordinator for this class, expressed to Mike how important organization is for the students’ academic success. She explained that one of the Dreamers would always misplace his homework between home and school the next day and that by providing him with a folder it has helped him stay organized. These gifts will be a huge benefit to the students.

Since we only needed 70 backpacks for our Dreamers, and Mike brought more than enough, we were thrilled to be able to give a backpack to the entire third grade at 99^th Street Elementary!

We cannot do what we do without the support of donors like Mike, and we are very grateful to him for his willingness to get involved with our Dreamers.  This was another special day that our Dreamers will never forget. And neither will we.  Thank you, Mike!

If you would like to get involved with IHADLA as a sponsor, donor, Dream Speaker, mentor or advocate, we would love to hear from you. Please contact us today to learn more about how you can help make dreams come true in the community.

Related Posts:

Annie Potts Returns to Read to Third Grade Dreamers in Watts

Crossroads Students Help Third Grade Dreamers with Homework

Dream Speakers from Paramount Pictures Visit 6^th Grade Dreamers in Inglewood