High Water Women’s 12th Annual Backpack Drive Delivers 22,000 Backpacks to Children in Need
Dozens of companies and more than 4000 business professionals
volunteered and provided support
NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–High Water Women, a leading philanthropic organization focused on
financial literacy and initiatives for low-income children, today
announced the completion of its 12th annual Backpack Drive,
delivering a record 22,000 fully-supplied backpacks to tristate area
children in need. The drive was the culmination of a fundraising effort
that started in March and raised more than $460,000, allowing volunteers
to assemble 20% more backpacks than last year.
More than 4000 donors and volunteers participated in this year’s drive,
which took place at more than twenty assembly/distribution locations in
New York and Connecticut in July and August. Many financial services and
other companies supported the drive and participated in backpack
assemblies including: Albourne, Allianz Global Investors, Barclays
Center, Barclays Bank, Cambridge Associates, Clearbridge, Brown
Advisory, Corbin Capital, Crowe Horwath, Deutsche Bank, Elliot
Management, Forester Capital, Garcia Hamilton, Grey Advertising, Hunt
Lane Capital, Institutional Investor, Imagineer, Jennison, JP Morgan,
Kingdon Capital, KPMG, Mercer (NYC and CT offices), Marilyn Violet
Foundation, MetLife, Morgan Stanley, One William Street, Orrick,
Herrington & Sutcliffe, Pershing Square, PineBridge, ProShares, Putnam
Investments, Prudential Financial, Reed Smith, Sachem Head Capital, Time
Inc., Stone Harbor, Tudor Investment Corp., and William Blair & Company.
Generous donations from the attendees of this year’s Institutional
Investor’s annual awards dinners (US Investment Management Awards,
and Hedge Fund Industry Awards) plus the Pageant Media and Lipper Mutual
Funds Awards Dinners all held during the spring were particularly
important to the drive’s success.
Janice Abert, HWW Board of Directors and Chairperson of the Backpack
Drive and Managing Partner at Abert Associates said, “Our corporate
sponsorship has expanded significantly due to companies wanting to offer
their employees a volunteer and community
engagement opportunity. Companies are hosting on-site backpack
assemblies where representatives from the recipient partners join in and
make a presentation about their organizations and the children who will
be receiving the backpacks. Employees get so excited participating on an
assembly line to stuff the backpacks with school supplies and feel very
good about knowing that they’re helping so many children start school
ready to learn!”
More than forty participating nonprofits and schools placed orders for
the backpacks, with kindergarten, elementary and middle/high schools all
receiving different supplies.
According to Sr. Paulette LoMonaco, CEO of Good Shepherd Services, “Our
partnership with High Water Women has been vital to Good Shepherd
Services which provides essential support to over 30,000 youth families
in struggling neighborhoods. This year, nearly 2,000 participants in
Good Shepherd’s afterschool programs, community schools and foster care
programs will be starting school with more confidence because they have
new backpacks and school supplies. The backpack drive continues to set a
positive tone for a successful school year.”
Other recipient charities included: 4 Kids In Need Foundation, Andrus,
Boys and Girls Clubs of Greenwich and Stamford, Broome Street Academy,
Cambridge Family and Children Services, Carver Center of Portchester,
Child Center of NY, Children’s Learning Center, Domus, DreamYard,
Emmanuel Worship Center, Evangelical Temple, ExpandED Schools,
Forestdale, Friends of the Children, GEMS, Go Project, Good Shepherd
Services, High School of Art and Design, Hour Children, Hunts Point
Alliance for Children, Inspirica, Inwood House, Interfaith Food Pantry,
Iris House, JCCA, Jubilee Center of Hoboken, Manhattan Christian
Academy, Marble Collegiate, New Alternatives for Children, Newark Church
Backpack Drive, Partnership with Children, Pivot House, Public Prep, PT
Barnum Community of Bridgeport, Sheltering Arms, Southport Congregation,
South End Community of Stamford, Storefront Academy, Tabernacle of
Prayer, TEAK Fellowship, Women in Need, Women’s Prison Association, and
Young Women’s Leadership Network.
About High Water Women
High Water Women (HWW) is a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to the
economic empowerment of women and youth through programs in financial
literacy, microfinance and other initiatives for low-income children
supported by volunteers and donors in the financial services industry.
In the past three years HWW has also become a leader in convening
symposia for impact investors.
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Contacts
High Water Women
Diane Keating, 917-592-2959
Executive Director
www.highwaterwomen.org
