Committee at Temple Beth Israel donates $1,000 worth of school supplies

The Social Action Committee of Temple Beth Israel on Aug. 3 donated $1,000 worth of school supplies to Second Chance Last Opportunity for its yearly back-to-school drive.

Arlene Davis, a member of the committee, said she started donating to SCLO in 2020. Once she saw its amazing mission in action, she started to encourage the organizations she was a part of to support it as well. 

“We started working with Second Chance a couple of years ago,” said Davis. “We’ve been having food drives in the afternoon once every six weeks. Now it's summer, there isn’t a lot of things going on but we knew about this and they put something in the bulletin to advertise that we are raising money for school supplies. Then we spent Thursday together packing bags full of them at the temple.”

Second Chance Last Opportunity was started by April Glasco in 1995. It is a hands-on intervention center that focuses on serving low-income families. SCLO provides life-management classes, food and clothing drives, counseling, youth mentoring and many more programs. 

After being in difficult life situations, Glasco found out that her purpose was to show people how to pick themselves up after life gets them down.

“I was in an abusive relationship,” said Glasco. “I didn’t want my four daughters to think that this is what goes on in life.I didn't want my girls to suffer behind the mess of violence. We were homeless. There was a lot we had to go through in order to get out of that situation. So what they needed is what we offer.” 

SCLO has been hosting a back-to-school drive for 33 years. The Social Action Committee raised $1,000, including a match from Flanser Philanthropic Trust. Members of the committee spent the morning of Aug. 3 packing the $1,000 school supplies and loaded up three cars to bring to the drive.

The drive took place at the SCLO women's center on Colleton Drive and had a big turn out. The drive was organized with supplies for pre-K, elementary school and high school. There was a barbecue and a raffle that gave away free bicycles. A Kona Ice truck came at 2:30 p.m. and the first 50 children got a free Kona Ice.