Back to School: A Great Time to Build Community

When you think of back-to-school, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? For some, it’s new clothes; for others with children, it’s the return of routine; and for some, it’s a time of great sadness because the summer is coming to an end. For all of us at Community Life, back-to-school is a time to build a stronger sense of community!

Why is that? Because back-to-school time means we can offer our neighbors a chance to contribute to a back-to-school drive. And when neighbors start to contribute, they start to feel ownership on property. They start to feel like they can put a mark on their community! That is when you start to see genuine community and we, at Community Life, start to see some real positive results.

To start a Back-to-School Drive, all you need to do is reach out to the local schools and see what supplies are needed, or look for organizations around you that are already doing something and ask them if you can partner with them this year (and every year for that matter). Then, in your community, you can put out an email with a list of items needed and have them dropped off at a centralized location like the leasing office. Or, you can take it a step further and make a resident event out of it. Have your neighbors and residents bring in the needed supplies, then have some food or games for them to enjoy. It will help them feel like they’re part of something unique and special. Not only are they giving something away, but they are doing it with their neighbors that they now have an opportunity to connect others that have also contributed at your event.