As I walked into the Clayton/Smyrna Boys and Girls Club with a camera, I was swarmed by children saying "take my picture, take my picture." As the children came in from school, they settled in to play basketball, have snacks and do art projects under the direction of Mr. Marquis (Marquis Ellis). Children of all ages attend the Boys and Girls Clubs that are located throughout the state. For the first Delaware ASFAA service project, members wanted to reach out to the children who attend these clubs.

School supplies were collected by colleges and universities in Delaware with the idea that there would be children at the Boys and Girls Clubs who might not have the necessary tools to begin the school year. In addition to this use, at least one club's Education Director, Nancy Gill, chose to use some of the supplies as a reward in a Homework Incentive Program. She planned to award points to students who completed homework and let them earn points toward some of the supplies. What a great idea! Executive Director, Darrell Tingle, of the Dover Boys and Girls Clubs accepted the school supplies at his Dover Administrative Office and guaranteed they would be put to good use.

Our "School Tools" flyers, designed by Cristine Layton, Wilmington College, could be seen on boxes and walls of many Delaware colleges and universities. There were donations from many schools and more promises for next year. All supplies were distributed equally between Boys and Girls Clubs in Sussex, Kent and New Castle counties. Co-chairs, Beth Parker, ECMC, and Cristine Layton were joined by Melissa Rakes, Delaware Technical & Community College-Georgetown, in the sorting process. After sorting, the supplies were delivered to the five chosen clubs. In addition to the three mentioned above, Oak Orchard Club in Millsboro and Laurel Extension Club in Sussex County were recipients of supplies.

The Delaware members were very excited about this project and look forward to more community service efforts. Future plans include expanding our interaction with Boys and Girls Clubs throughout the state. We plan to be available to these students with Financial Aid Awareness and post-secondary education opportunities.