Roy Garcia raises funds for school supplies to help children in need

Roy Garcia exceeded his goal to raise funds for school supplies for families in need this summer. The singer, a former educator, raised over $300 using a GoFundMe page to aid Tejano radio stations’ school supply drives, including Tejano Nation affiliates La Voz 93.3 in Abilene and KSAB-FM in Corpus Christi.

“Having previously worked in education for six years, I often saw children come to school on the first day without school supplies, back packs and sometimes even without new clothes/uniforms,” Garcia told TejanoNation. “Let’s face it, when you’re a family living paycheck to paycheck and struggling to put food on the table, school supplies just seem so far outside the budget and not at the top of the priority list. It was truly heart breaking to see some kids have to do without, while others flourished with the necessities needed to succeed in school.”

Statistics show that more than one-third of low-income students begin kindergarten not ready for school and this creates a long lasting trickle down effect in their learning capabilities throughout grade school. By the time they reach fourth grade, 50 percent will not be at grade level in reading, all because they weren’t prepared for school with the tools they needed to effectively learn.

“It got me thinking about just how many families might be out there this year who do not have the money to adequately provide their children with the proper school supplies that they need to thrive and learn,” Garcia said. “I decided that I wanted to do something this year to help out anyway I could. So, I created a GoFund me account and set a goal for $300. I asked family, friends and supporters to donate whatever they could. Whether it was $1.00 or $10.00, every single cent made a difference.”

In less than two short days Garcia was able to reach his goal.

“100% of the proceeds will go to the purchase of school supply items that I will in return be sending to radio stations that I have partnered with that are holding school supply collection initiatives of their own,” Garcia added. “This was just something I decided to do at the spur of the moment, but seeing how so many people were eager to contribute, I hope to do this next year as well and on a slightly larger scale to help more communities throughout Texas.”

Although Garcia won’t be able to reach every child this year, making sure children have the tools they need to enrich their learning experience all while fostering a conducive learning environment is a great investment in the future of our children and communities.

There are several resources to look to for school supplies. The American Red Cross usually holds school supply drives at their local chapters. The Salvation Army is also partnered with Target and Walmart for back to school initiatives. You can also check local community centers and churches that hold annual back to school drives, as well as your local school districts. Also, reach out to your local city district representatives for neighborhood school drive initiatives. Be sure to listen to your favorite Tejano radio station as they will be giving out information about back to school drives.

Garcia’s debut solo album Solo, which includes the hit title track “Solo,” “Contento” and “Quiero Saber,” is currently available on all major digital distributors and can be purchased at Del Bravo Record Shop in San Antonio.

“One child, one teacher, one book, one pen can change the world.” – Malala Yousafzai