Students in need will receive school supplies courtesy of Mohawk Vision’s Stuff the Bus Campaign

Buying school supplies can be a burden to many families when fall rolls around and there are sneakers, winter coats and new jeans to purchase for the whole family in addition to school supplies. This fall, 115 Akwesasne students will get a break and all of their school supplies – books, pens, rulers, calculators, etc. – will be purchased for them.

Earlier this year, Massena’s Salvation Army contacted Mohawk Vision, owned by Dr. Hillary Pyke, about a lack of response they’d been receiving for their Stuff the Bus campaign. Stuff the Bus is a nationwide fundraiser in which communities donate school supplies or money to help out families in need.

Mohawk Vision hopped on board the Stuff the Bus idea and since few families were willing to sit through an interview process and reveal personal information, Dr. Pyke and her husband Gus decided that they would run the fundraiser in Akwesasne on their own and provide school supplies to anyone who signed up, regardless of income.

Mohawk Vision staff, like Coordinator Jolene Jackson, stormed ahead with plans for how they’d make it work. They planned a Back to School Family Fun Day within a week and held it Monday evening at Kateri Hall with many Akwesasne businesses on board to assist. There, children played on inflatables, competed in skipping rope contests, rode ponies, ate cotton candy and listened to a DJ while their parents were able to sign them up, if needed, for school supplies.

On Tuesday, the Mohawk Vision crew began the enormous task of sorting through all their donations of supplies and money and doing the shopping, packing, and organizing of the filled book bags.

Students/parents had two choices for receiving the supplies. They could print off their school’s official school supply list and submit that, and receive every item on it. Or, if no list was available they could still register to receive a book bag filled with generic school supplies that will still provide them with the basics to start with as they return to school.

“The doctor and Gus really felt strongly about this, that school is the most important thing,” said Jackson. “We really didn’t have any plan, it kind of just all came together.”

Since Mohawk Vision branched off from the Salvation Army (with Salvay’s blessing), next year the campaign may have a new name and the organizers are optimistic that this will be a yearly event that can grow like the Mountain of Toys drive during the Christmas season.

“We are definitely going to do it next year and we’re going to start earlier,” Jackson said.

The cut off date for applications was August 30 but next year Mohawk Vision hopes to help even more children than the 115 they’re currently assisting.

Jackson said Akwesasne businesses didn’t hesitate to help with the last minute campaign, by sponsoring the activities at the Family Fun Day, donating prizes for the different contests, making cash donations or purchasing supplies. Mohawk Vision staff had a room full of supplies Tuesday and Dr. Pyke and her husband are planning to cover any additional costs not paid for in donations.

“We have 26 students who had a graphic calculator on their school supply list,” Jackson said. “Those are around $100, so that’s $2600 just for that one item.”

She added, “We did it this year and it turned out awesome so next year with more planning it could be better.”

Businesses who assisted with Family Fun Day were CKON, #9, St. Regis Mohawk Tribe Drug and Alcohol Prevention Program, Katmandew’s, 37 West, Akwesasne Boys & Girls Club, St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Police, TMG, the JOM Program, and the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe Community Fund.