Ready To Learn
Thirteen-year-old Ashley Suter postponed a rollercoaster ride at Pittsburgh’s Kennywood amusement park in favor of stuffing red backpacks with new school supplies – donated by LexisNexis – to help 500 children from disadvantaged families in western Pennsylvania.
Ashley participated in the LexisNexis Cares event at Kennywood since she was tagging along with her grandfather, William K. Suter, at his annual meeting of the National Conference of Appellate Court Clerks (NCACC), where LexisNexis was a meeting sponsor.
“This is the first time we’ve done anything quite like this at our annual meeting,” noted William Suter, Clerk of the Court, Supreme Court of the United States. “It was interesting and worthwhile since many of us had our children and grandchildren with us.”
That’s precisely why Nikki Daugherty, Director, Government Relations & Contracts at LexisNexis, partnered with NCACC on the project.
“It’s so powerful when we can engage customers and partners – and in this case, their families – in an event that truly benefits a community,” Daugherty said.
A Family Affair
After dinner at the park, the state and federal appellate court clerks and their families – more than 225 adults and children, some even younger than Ashley – formed six makeshift assembly lines so they could fill backpacks with crayons, pencils, a notebook, folder, pen and eraser.
"Ashley couldn’t wait to get started because she understands that not everyone is as fortunate as she is,” William Suter said. “I told her this is a great way to help these children help themselves do well in school.”
Ashley, her grandfather and the rest took time to write personal notes of encouragement to the students, tucking one inside each pack before cinching it closed. They gave the packs to a representative from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Pennsylvania, which later distributed them to students in kindergarten through grade 4.
“The majority of these children are from disadvantaged, low-income families just trying to survive in today’s world,” explained F.J. Mike Hepler, club president and CEO. “This act of kindness from LexisNexis has made life easier for 500 families who faced the challenge of providing back-to-school supplies for their children.”
Time Well Spent
William Suter said he enjoyed doing a project with his colleagues, wife Jeanie and Ashley instead of simply “throwing money into a pot.”
“This wasn’t a gimmick or for show – this was real,” he said. “LexisNexis had all the supplies and backpacks ready to go, and we were ready to go. I could just see a student opening a pack and finding things of their own they’ve always needed – but maybe haven’t had before.”
“Our group is a bunch of doers, and so is LexisNexis,” said Tom Hall, Clerk of the Court, Supreme Court of Florida, NCACC president. “It was a neat idea, so we didn’t have to ask our people to step up. They just did.”
(Top left image: NCACC members and their families took time to write notes of encouragement to students in grades K-4 and included one in each backpack of donated school supplies. Photo courtesy of Tom Hall.)
(Bottom right image: Bill Martin, Clerk of the Court, Court of Appeals of Georgia, and more than 225 adults and their families attending the annual meeting of the NCACC, packed backpacks with crayons and other school supplies donated by LexisNexis.)