I participated in back-to-school campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Boys & Girls Clubs of America. I received a promotional item as a thank you for participating

Dropping off Alex on the 1st day of 2nd grade - 1997

Dropping off Alex on the 1st day of 2nd grade – 1997

I’m a huge advocate of the Boys & Girls Club (BGCA). I’ve mentioned before how they provided summer enrichment to the kids in my area when I was a child. They provided some of my best summer memories growing up. So when I get a chance to highlight some of the good they’re doing, I jump on it!

Right now I’m excited to be a Boys & Girls Club Back-to-School Ambassador! As someone who survived two boys going back to school kindergarten through 12th grade as well as one going on to four years of college, I have a lot of experience with this annual rite of passage. And I can’t tell you how much I miss it!

Get Ready for Back-to-School ListsWhile there were some tears on my part out of frustration during the teen years when it came to shopping for clothes, I wouldn’t trade those memories for anything. I came to learn that the easiest way to handle it was to say, “Show me what you’ll wear and I’ll tell you if I’ll pay for it.” That got us through some trying times. I also gave them a budget – if they wanted that pair of expensive jeans then it was at the expense of having a larger wardrobe. They learned fast that styles change and volume trumped tags because they hated doing laundry. They’re adults now and they buy by comfort, not designer tags. Those lessons stuck.

This year BGCA has partnered with the jcpenney cares round up campaign. In the month of July, jcpenney purchases could be rounded up to the nearest whole dollar with the proceeds going to support afterschool programs at Boys & Girls Clubs across the country. 100% of donations raised will go towards BGCA.

If you’re planning on shopping, there’s still time today to participate. Go to  www.greatfutures.org/backtoschool for details.

Tools for Back-to-School

Happy back to school shopping. It’s more than just buying stuff for school – it’s a chance to make memories and provide some lessons on life. I’ll share some more ways your back-to-school shopping can help others later this week.

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