Aug 2

Aug 2 Miss North Carolina to attend school supply event in La Grange

Miss North Carolina Laura Matrazzo
Photo by Matt Boyd Photography / Official Miss America Photographer

On the heels of their successful town and school beautification project, the newly formed community outreach group Change 4 La Grange is organizing a school supply drive. They'll have Miss North Carolina on hand to help the effort, too.

Among the special guests scheduled to attend a Back To School Summer Splash event on Aug. 25 include reigning Miss North Carolina Laura Matrazzo, along with local sports mascots to be announced.

Melissa Ball, of the La Grange Church of God, said she and La Grange First Missionary Baptist Church Pastor John Wiggins have discussed combining churches for events such as Easter egg hunts, trunk-or-treat, youth Christmas plays with the purpose of bring residents together.

"When he shared his idea of a community project I, along with several other representatives from various churches, jumped on board," she said. "We were all ready to see some positive change and unity."

The main goal of Change 4 La Grange is to make a positive difference in La Grange by instilling a sense of community, equality, work ethic, and faith in the town's youth.

"Change 4 La Grange is a group of La Grange-affiliated organizations - mostly churches right now - that have joined together to better our community and improve race relations," said Tyrone Morgan of The Presence Church in La Grange.

Morgan is assisting Ball with the logistics of the school supply drive along with Nancy Sauls of Institute United Methodist Church, Bruce Bannister of First Free Will Baptist Church and many other Change 4 La Grange members.

"While we can't provide every item on the supply list for every grade, our hope is to cover the basics," Ball said. "This project is designed specifically for the students in La Grange who need the supplies. We have so many families who struggle with day-to-day expenses, and this is our way of helping ease their transition into the school year."

Lists of supplies students will need for La Grange Elementary, Frank Middle, and North Lenoir High are posted on each school's website.

"The most needed items include No. 2 pencils, eight- and 24-pack crayons, glue sticks, loose leaf paper, notebooks, Clorox wipes, Kleenex and paper towels," Morgan said.

The supply drive has already started at each of the participating Change 4 La Grange churches and the La Grange Community Center. Additional drop-off points will be posted on the Change 4 La Grange Facebook page in coming days.

The final day to drop off donations will be Friday, Aug. 22nd at the Community Center in La Grange.

Melissa Ball, right, and Tyrone Morgan show off some of the supplies they'll be collecting later this month in La Grange. Photo by Jon Dawson / Neuse News

"On the 22nd, we will be hosting a 'Stuff the Bus' event from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the La Grange Community Center at 410 E Washington Street", Ball said. "We'll be accepting donations that day until 7 p.m."

Collected supplies will be distributed to students on Aug. 25 at the La Grange Spraygound, located at 103 South Center Street.

"We need volunteers for the Aug. 22nd Stuff the Bus event," Ball said. "Supplies will be distributed at our Back To School Summer Splash event at the La Grange Sprayground on Saturday, Aug. 25 from 9-11 a.m. Each student will check in at a welcome station where they will receive a school supply list for their grade. As they move through each station they'll receive a stamp to show they've received the supplies listed for them."

Ball said volunteers are also needed to assist with the Aug. 25 supply distribution. Anyone interested in volunteering is encouraged to contact Change 4 La Grange via their Facebook page.

Anyone interested in making a monetary donation to the supply drive may send it to La Grange First Missionary Church, located at 201 N Caswell St, La Grange, NC, 28551.