Prudential California Realty donates 54 backpacks to Aspiranet foster youth for new school year

Aug. 30, 2012 - PRLog -- (SAN JOSE, Calif.) – Prudential California Realty received an A+ for a job well done enlisting the help of San Jose community members who donated school items to help foster kids and teens have a successful school year.

Through the well-known realty company’s annual ‘Backpack Challenge,’ 54 foster youth in the San Jose area with non-profit organization Aspiranet were given backpacks stocked with school essentials to ensure they make the grade when they returned to school after summer break.

“It is so important for our foster children and teens to be equipped with all of the necessary resources for school as they go through this transition in their lives,” said Rosalinda Rodriguez, San Jose district director for Aspiranet. “We are grateful to Prudential for their generous support of foster youth. Our kids now have a better chance for success in the upcoming school year.”

From June 26 – Aug. 10, the Prudential California Realty office in San Jose collected donations needed to fill backpacks with age appropriate personal items and school supplies for foster children and teens ages 5-18 served by Aspiranet, one of California’s largest social service agencies. Items collected included pencils, pens, notebook paper, binders, crayons, glue sticks, highlighters, dictionaries and thesauruses, as well as educational games. Backpacks were even supplied with personal sized hand sanitizer.

Since the real estate company launched the Prudential Backpack Challenge in 1999, more than 43,000 backpacks have been collected and donated to deserving foster youth throughout the United States.

About Aspiranet
Aspiranet, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) charity, supports foster children, siblings, families, and the community with 35 core programs offering specialized services through 45 satellite centers within California.

Founded 35 years ago as a six-bed group home for young boys in Moss Beach, Calif., Aspiranet is one of the most diverse nonprofit social service agencies in the state. With a statewide network of innovative services, Aspiranet has touched the lives of over 10,000 families and children since its founding.

Aspiranet’s vision of bringing families together and helping foster children, siblings, and parents thrive is realized through six areas of expertise – Family Services, Foster Care, Adoption, Education, Afterschool programs, and Community Partnerships. For more information, please visit www.aspiranet.org.