To help children prepare for the new school year, CCRC hosts an annual Back to School drive. Funds raised from our Laughs4Literacy comedy show allow us to purchase those materials.
This year we are grateful to have received the support of a community business as a major event sponsor. We were excited when Julio Zenon reached out saying that community is a keystone of his business and sat down with him to hear why they chose CCRC.
“Laughs4Literacy is a great opportunity for kids to get back into reading and enjoy that – I used to do that a lot when I was younger: the Harry Potter books, Where’s Waldo, Clifford,” said Zenon, a loan officer at Mortgage Gurus. “That’s a good base for kids to [get interested in reading] at a young age.”
Promoting literacy is just one goal of our annual Laughs4literacy campaign.
This night of comedy helps fund our Back to School Backpack Giveaway, which provides supplies, books and backpacks to hundreds of young learners.
“My contribution is going to help kids get a new backpack and books, I really love that,” said Zenon.
Zenon said his employer supports children and families in the community in the home buying process, so it made sense to Mortgage Gurus to support CCRC.
“We don’t think of it as just giving a loan to a person or help them with the real estate transaction, we help them educate themselves on what is important in owning a home and what that home can become,” said Zenon.
The decision to sponsor CCRC’s event was easy for Zenon, whose family has benefited directly from our services.
“I have two nieces and nephews that have been through CCRC,” said Zenon.
And Zenon says he can remember the excitement of going back to school and wants all kids – regardless of family income – to experience that feeling.
“As a kid, it’s like omg you get a new backpack, pair of shoes, notebooks and pencils, something new to go into the school year,” said Zenon. “There are kids that are having the same backpack for many years or don’t have one at all, that’s why I want to contribute to this organization.”
If you know a business owner who would like to support our back-to-school drive, let them know they can host a donation bin.
