Cram the Van enjoys huge success

From Staff Reports

Take those school supplies and cram them -- into the van, of course! That’s exactly what 17 offices, including the state office, did during the August in a statewide to promote partnerships and community involvement.

State office partnered with Family Support Services, Oklahoma County Juvenile Court Office (55J) and sold backpacks stuffed with school supplies to sponsors for the low price of $10. The sponsors’ backpacks were then donated to children in foster care and Oklahoma Department of Human Services (OKDHS) custody. Supplies for 75 backpacks were purchased, stuffed and delivered as a kick-off to the first-ever statewide Cram the Van.

“Our team was eager to create a signature event for Child Support Awareness Month held in August,” explained Clairen Reese, programs administrator for the Center for Communications and Community Relations (CCCR). “We thought this would be perfect for back to school. Not only would it benefit children in need, it would also empower the local offices to utilize their own employees’ talents and efforts to produce something that would benefit their own communities. We are so thankful for the generosity of Wal-Mart for partnering with us. We are ecstatic at the positive results from our first year.”

“The totals were amazing!” exclaimed CCCR’s Rachel Mitchell who helped organize the project. “Estimations from some of the offices show the total donations to be well over $12,000. Idabel, alone, raised $3,400. That’s great for a first-time event.”

To pull off an event of this magnitude, members of the CCCR traveled across the state delivering supplies, signs, promotional items and lending support to the participating district offices set up in front of area Wal-Mart stores. Although there was a designated theme to the project, each office put its own personality into their day.

There was face-painting, tattooing and gaming. There were also lots of collected school supplies. Child support staff, spouses and their children and friends collected donations in temperatures exceeding 100 degrees. Donations were then presented to women’s shelters, schools, children’s shelters, foster care families and many other worthy groups.

“The Tulsa West office collected a total of 8 shopping baskets of schools supplies!” stated Tulsa West Child Support managing attorney John Sharp. “We are very pleased with the results and think this was a great idea." Although many organizations collect and distribute school supplies during the month of August, shoppers continued to be very generous.

“So many people thanked us for what we were doing,” said Robert Cameron, program manager of the Oklahoma County Juvenile Court office. “Some of the people had been involved in the foster care system in some facet or another and understood the need for simple things like school supplies and were excited to help. A lady who had been a Hurricane Katrina evacuee was so grateful for everything the people of Oklahoma had done for her she was extremely pleased to be able to give something back.”

The Great Plains Child Support office (Lawton) partnered with the Great Plains Improvement Foundation and adopted the elementary schools in the Lawton public school system. After receiving and distributing the donations, one of the schools reported they were able to provide backpacks and supplies to every child in need!