A Gift For Teaching's The Great Big Backpack Build came back this summer stronger than ever with over 400 volunteers full of smiles and great energy!

A Gift For Teaching gave three Orange County students the opportunity to shop for free during its yearly “Grant a Wish” event on Friday.

A Gift for Teaching’s Pencil Boy’s Express is back on school campuses after being on pause due to COVID-19.

ORLANDO, Fla. – Walt Disney World volunteers made magic Friday, organizing hundreds of school supplies they collected over the summer. Marilyn West is a Walt Disney World ambassador and was also volunteering Friday. [RELATED: Just how important are proper school supplies? Every year, cast members spend the summer collecting all sorts of school supplies for students and teachers for their annual back-to-school drive. Central Florida students return to school Monday.

Staples is offering $10,000 in gift cards for 10 schools through its Thank a Teacher Sweepstakes, which is open until Sept. 14. Students and parents can also show teacher appreciation through the company's new rewards program. Through its website, Classroom Rewards allows parents to give 5% of their back-to-school purchases to a teacher or school until Sept. 15. The recipient of their choice will receive up to $250 through Staples Rewards. Elementary school teachers can buy fashion clipboards for $4, a 10-pack of markers for $2.99 and a four-pack of washable glue sticks for 97-cents.

ORLANDO, Fla. – It's back-to-school season, and parents are getting their budget ready for when their child brings home that dreaded school supply list. Louisa Thistle, a manager for the Goodwill store on South Orange Blossom Trail in Orlando, said the organization can help. All 29 Goodwill stores across six Central Florida counties have a variety of school supplies like notebook paper, folders, backpacks and uniforms. But it's not just school supplies. If a student is going off to college and will be living on campus, Goodwill stores also offer a wide selection of home décor, such as wall decorations, desk lamps, office furnishings and kitchenware.

That could only mean one thing — fun back-to-school activities where free school supplies will be given away to students who need them most. One hundred free backpacks filled with school supplies will be given away. Parents must register their children Children who are enrolled in the Free/Reduced Lunch Program in a Brevard Public School may participate in this giveaway event where they can take home free school supplies. There will be food and drinks, a bounce house, music, games and free school supplies. Back to School Rally Event PagePolk CountyBack to School Safety Bash

ORLANDO, Fla. – It might seem like you've been saving for back to school since you packed your children's backpacks last fall. Public school parents might find assistance with some school expenses through their Parent Teacher Association, says Heidi Emberling, director of Parents Place, a family resource center in the San Francisco Bay Area. USE 'NO' AS A TEACHING MOMENTIf you simply can't afford a school expense, etiquette and lifestyle expert Elaine Swann recommends an "on-your-own-terms no." If you do participate in a fundraiser or other event, you can set a cap based on your budget. After-school activities, fundraisers and other extras can be valuable, but "(they're) not a requirement for your child to attend school," she says.

Some families barely have enough to feed their children, let alone provide them with school supplies. Because they care about their students' well-being, teachers in Orange County routinely dig into their own wallets to pay for supplies. Teachers and students need specific tools and supplies to preserve our future, help shape young minds and better the community. How to helpWhile helping out students and teachers with the supplies they need for school seems like an uphill battle, there are plenty of ways to pitch in. Last year alone, the WKMG News 6 Telethon raised more than $33,500, allowing the organization to provide local public schools with more than $670,500 in supplies.

These children attempt to participate in school without basic supplies such as pencils, paper, crayons and books. Because of these numbers, teachers on average spend about $500 to $1,000 of their own money every year just to buy necessary school supplies for their students. What started as a small movement has turned into a powerful force to supply students and teachers alike with the tools they need to succeed in school. The organization's commitmentThe mission is to improve public school education by providing resources and surplus materials free to teachers for their students in need. Still, group leaders realize school supplies aren't always enough.

The views expressed in this article are those of the advertiser and do not necessarily reflect those of this site or affiliated companies. In a lot of ways, Addition Financial is like any other credit union, offering auto loans, credit cards and mortgages, to name some of the services. But what sets the company apart, or gives it a bit of an edge, is its partnerships. A Gift for Teaching is a group that provides teachers with free school supplies for their classrooms, to be handed out to children in need. Kevin Miller, president and CEO of Addition Financial, will fill you in on that relationship, which is one of several valued partnerships for the credit union.