Local

Annual 9 School Tools drive begins Wednesday

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Channel 9’s annual collection of school tools starts up Wednesday with the goal to make sure underprivileged children in the area have supplies for the upcoming school year.

High school students Crys Blackey and Isiah Fleming have made it their goal to help those kids as well.

They are spreading the word in their northwest Charlotte neighborhood and collecting supplies.

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"In my neighborhood, I know a lot of kids just don't have the basic needs they need to do well in school, and I saw the importance of that, so I thought school supplies would be one of the most important things we could collect and get out to other people who can't afford it,” Fleming said.

Blackey came up with the idea to give back five years ago, and it's gotten bigger each year.

“The first year, we only had a bin at the pool and we thought maybe people won't want to go out of their way to go down to the pool to drop things off,” Blackey said. “We said we'll come around the neighborhood and we'll pick it up for you. Just leave it by your mailbox and we'll come pick up the supplies if you want to leave in your mailbox. Just make it easy for people.”

They've also expanded their collection to other neighborhoods nearby.

“Every small difference, every small thing they can change, that helps,” Fleming said. “And if it helps one person, it makes a big difference.”

“It definitely makes a difference, if you have the materials to better yourself in school, which is really important,” Blackey said.

They are collecting the rest of this week, then they'll deliver the donations to Classroom Central.
 
Channel 9 is holding a start-up event from 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. Wednesday at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in uptown Charlotte.