To help ease the financial burden for families heading into another school year, Verizon Wireless retail locations across the greater Quad Cities region will be giving away hundreds of free backpacks.
The local giveaway is part of the 12th Annual “School Rocks Backpack Giveaway.” It’s hosted by Verizon authorized retailer Round Room. Round Room, LLC is one of the country’s largest Verizon Authorized Retailers. It has more than 1,200 TCC and Wireless Zone stores. Round Room will give away more than $3 million worth of backpacks to children at more than 1,000 of its stores.
In response to increased gun violence in the greater Quad Cities and elsewhere, select stores will have clear backpacks available to meet individual school district’s requirements, the company said in a news release.
The backpacks will be handed out at 1 p.m. on Sunday, July 28, at these Verizon Wireless locations across the QC region:
- 1205 N 2nd St, Clinton, Iowa (clear backpack location).
- 1800 N Division St. Suite C, Davenport (clear backpack location).
- 5200 Avenue Of The Cities, Moline.
- 3825 18th Ave Ste 2, Rock Island.
In the release Verizon Wireless referenced a NerdWallet survey. It showed 42% of U.S. parents say they will go into debt to pay for their child(ren)’s back-to-school items. With backpacks being a higher ticket item and the average family’s cost of supplies being around $890, Round Room hopes its “School Rocks Backpack Giveaway” helps the local families it serves during this back-to-school season.
1.3M kids served so far
Leftover backpacks will be donated to local schools of each store’s choice. Since the event’s inception in 2013, Round Room has provided more than 1.3 million children with a backpack.
In addition to giving away 120,000 backpacks this year, the Round Room event will award 10 random students as “Golden Ruler” winners. Each will receive a $100 Visa gift card to purchase other school supplies. Additionally, the school the Golden Ruler winners attend will receive a $1,000 Amazon Wishlist buyout.
“All at the same time, on the same Sunday afternoon, there’s a simultaneous period of giving at our TCC and Wireless Zone stores around the country. It’s a beautiful thing,” Round Room CEO Scott Moorehead said in the release.
“We believe in the power of community and the importance of education, which is why this initiative is so important to everyone throughout the Round Room organization,” he added. “Our corporate team, store owners, and store employees work hard to make this happen every year because they genuinely want to make a profound impact. They want to help ensure every student has the basic tools they need to start the school year off on the right foot.”
To view the “Golden Ruler” terms and conditions, visit the TCC or Wireless Zone websites.
