GENTRY, AR – Every Gentry Public Schools student will begin the school year with the supplies they need thanks to a major investment from Sharing & Caring of Benton County, which has pledged $16,000 to the district's Ready Day One initiative.
The gift will help provide school supplies at no cost to all the district's more than 1,800 students, eliminating the need for families to purchase classroom supplies before the school year begins.
Sharing & Caring of Benton County exists to enhance lives and empower futures by ensuring children and families have both immediate support and long-term opportunity. The organization's investment aligns closely with the mission of Gentry Public Schools to remove barriers to learning and ensure every student is prepared for success on the first day of school.
"This is a tremendous contribution that directly serves the families in our district and hits on both our missions: to support kids," said Gentry Superintendent Dr. Tyler Broyles. "With partners like Sharing & Caring, we've worked to revolutionize the way school supplies are handled in our school district, which means no more shopping lists or fighting crowded department stores. It's a huge win for our students and their families."
Approved unanimously by the Gentry School Board earlier this year, Ready Day One ensures every student receives the teacher-requested, high-quality school supplies they need before classes begin. Instead of families searching for supply lists and making multiple shopping trips, students arrive on the first day ready to learn with identical, high-quality classroom materials and brands selected by their teachers.
“At Sharing & Caring, we envision a community where every child has both Hope at Christmas and the opportunity for a bright future,” said Thomas Blackwell, Executive Director of Sharing & Caring of Northwest Arkansas. “When we learned about Ready Day One, it was immediately clear that this initiative aligns with that vision. Every child deserves to walk into the classroom on the first day of school with confidence, knowing they have exactly what they need to learn alongside their peers. Partnerships like this allow us to invest not only in meeting immediate needs, but in empowering futures, and we're honored to stand alongside Gentry Public Schools in making that possible.”
The district piloted the program during the previous school year with kindergarten through second-grade students. The results were overwhelmingly positive, with teachers reporting that students arrived better prepared, classrooms experienced fewer supply shortages, and more instructional time was available from the very first day of school.
Sharing & Caring of Benton County joins a growing list of community partners helping make the vision a reality, including Tucker Chiropractic, which previously donated $15,964 to fully fund supplies for Gentry Intermediate School students, Simmons Foods, a $6,000 contributor; and Arvest Bank, which contributed $5,000 toward the initiative.
Together, these partnerships demonstrate the community's commitment to supporting students and investing in education, Broyles said.
Beyond reducing costs for families, the program also allows the district to purchase supplies in bulk, providing students with high-quality brands recommended by teachers while maximizing every donated dollar.
"Ready Day One is about much more than pencils and notebooks," Broyles said. "It's about ensuring every child begins the school year with confidence, knowing they have exactly what they need to succeed. We're incredibly grateful to Sharing & Caring of Benton County and all of our community partners who continue to invest in the success of Gentry students."
The Ready Day One program reflects Gentry Public Schools' commitment to being a place where all students connect, learn and succeed, while reinforcing the district's belief that every student deserves an equal opportunity to thrive from the very first day of school, Broyles said.
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FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Thomas Blackwell, Executive Director, Sharing & Caring of Benton County
thomasb@sharingandcaringkids.com
Mark Scott, Director of Community Engagement, Gentry Public Schools