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By Craig T. Kojima, Star-Bulletin
Volunteers Berdem Ragasa, left, and Julie Ragasa stack
writing tablets at the Community Clearinghouse, as part of
efforts to supply thousands of Hawaii's underprivileged
students with donated school supplies.

Ready to Learn donations
let needy children
shine in school

By Brett Alexander-Estes
Star-Bulletin

Linda Chu Takayama has seen children hugging their school supplies and saying, "Oh, Mommy, I can finally go to school now!"

"It brings tears to your eyes," said Takayama, a Ready to Learn volunteer.

Many needy children refuse to go to school rather than suffer the humiliation of being outshone by better-equipped peers, she said.

Ready to Learn, a project of the Community Clearinghouse, gives the children new pencils, pens, notebooks and other classroom necessities.

From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, local performers, presented by My TV Jamms, will entertain shoppers at Ala Moana Centerstage to help raise money for the effort.

Ready to Learn accepts both new school supplies and monetary donations.

The agency, whose honorary co-chairs are Hawaii Sen. Daniel K. Inouye and his wife, Maggie, prepares packets of grade-appropriate classroom supplies for students in kindergarten through high school.

Campton said Ready to Learn will attempt to provide supplies for 25,000 to 35,000 needy children statewide for the 2000-2001 school year, adding the agency needs to receive $250,000 in donations to achieve that goal.

Takayama said that Ready to Learn has received $200,000 so far, adding that the figure represents both monetary donations and the estimated value of donated school supplies.

Campton said that the agency's warehouse on Nimitz Highway, which stores and packages the supplies, is busy now as volunteers scramble to put together the packets earmarked for the neighbor islands.

While there is no donation deadline, Campton said the Ready to Learn drive usually runs from early January through early September.

Persons wishing to donate new school supplies at Ala Moana Center on Saturday can use a drive-thru donation site on the Atkinson Street side of the Center from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Money and supplies can also be donated on Saturday at Ward Warehouse during its Molokai Festival from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Monetary donations are being accepted at all branches of First Hawaiian and American Savings banks through Saturday.

Campton said both monetary and supply donations will continue to be accepted at the Ready To Learn warehouse at 2100 N. Nimitz Highway. For further information, call the warehouse at 841-4593.