While for most of us, summer is the time to leave the school year behind and look forward to days in the sun and family vacations, it certainly is not the case for Chehalis residents Mike and Sue Austin. Summer is the season in which these two philanthropic community leaders kick it into high gear. Each year, they find themselves driven to meet the ambitious goal of outfitting every child in the Chehalis School District with all the supplies necessary to be prepared for learning this upcoming school year.
The School Supply Project helping children in need in the Chehalis School District is in its fourth year, and is the brainchild of Mike Austin and his wife Sue. Mike spent more than 37 years with Adolphson Real Estate, while Sue comes from a background as an educator in the Chehalis School District for 35 years. The School Supply Project has been tasked with the monumental job of supplying 163 K-12 students in the Chehalis School District with a total 7260 items.
“There is a huge need in this area,” says Mike, “and the supply lists are growing each year.”
Mike and Sue Austin are both from Lewis County. Sue was born and raised in Chehalis. She attended Centralia College where she met Mike (who’s from Oakville) in a biology class. Mike moved on to WSU and then on to the Coast Guard, which took him to Vietnam. He later graduated from Central Washington University, while Sue graduated from Pacific Lutheran University. They raised both their son and their daughter in the Chehalis School District.
The School Supply Project started when the Austins retired.
“We both came from families that stressed giving back to the community,” says Mike, so naturally, they decided to dedicate their new found free time almost exclusively to charity work. The Austins are no strangers to giving to the community. In addition to The School Supply Project, Mike has been deeply involved with the Chehalis Foundation for many years. He has assisted in bringing to life the more than 20 civic, recreational and educational projects that have improved the quality of life in Lewis County, while Sue is currently the President of the Greater Chehalis Food Bank.
The School Supply Project came about as a result of the many years Sue spent in the classroom. Being a career educator, Sue was acutely aware of the plight of children in need in Lewis County and the impact it has on the children trying to get an education. “As educators, we provide school supplies for kids all the time with our own money,” says Sue. “There’s always a need.”
The truth of that statement was borne out of a recent encounter she and Mike had at Wal-Mart while they were stocking up on supplies for the Project. “We had two carts filled with school supplies and another customer said to us, ‘You must be a teacher!’” Sue says.
So, just like Sue had been sponsoring students in her classroom for years, the two decided to take matters into their own hands by spearheading the School Supply Project for children in need themselves.
Initially the Austins started the project through word of mouth, with their own money, and with the help of the fellow members of their church at St. John’s Lutheran Church. “At first supplies were coming out of our own pockets. Then people at church started handing checks to us, telling us to use it to help to buy supplies,” says Mike. Eventually, Mike and Sue started a Facebook page in order to reach out to more people, which led to an increase in the amount of supplies they could provide.
“Last year was the biggest year so far,” Sue adds. “We had one and a half full pick up loads of school supplies!”
Mike and Sue are always looking for the best way to save money and get the most bang for their buck. “Sometimes businesses have great deals, and we always try to keep an eye out for them, but for the most part, Wal-Mart has the best deals for general school supplies,” said Sue. The prime season for school supply shopping is from July 15 through August 15, which makes the need for assistance more pressing. But that doesn’t worry Mike and Sue. “We actually really enjoy shopping for the supplies,” she laughed.
They are both confident that the community will help them to reach their goal of providing all 163 Chehalis School District students in-need with school supplies for the upcoming fall school year. “This community is such a giving community. Look at all the things they have done to help others,” Mike remarks.
He points out that in addition to the generosity people have shown toward their work with the School Supply Project, The Chehalis Foundation and the Greater Chehalis Food Bank, there are many other programs that are thriving with the support of the members of this great community, including Kids Closet, The Eagle Scouts and Food for our Future that supplies weekend food for children in need in our area.
Mike is convinced that these and all the other charity programs that support the needy in our community demonstrate the inherent generosity of the people in Lewis County, adding with a smile, “That’s Lewis County, helping each other.”
Anyone who would like to help Mike and Sue Austin reach their goal by contributing to the School Supply Project may contact Mike and Sue directly through their Facebook page or at adolphsonre@localaccess.com. Supplies and or checks can be dropped off at Adolphsen Real Estate at 210 N Market Street in Chehalis.
The general list of supplies they are looking for are as follows:
- 1-inch binders
- Scissors (both blunt and sharp point)
- #2 pencils
- Colored pencils
- Notebook paper (wide and/or college ruled)
- Pens (blue and black)
- Kleenex
- Mechanical pencils
- Hand-held pencil sharpeners with top to collect shavings
- Large pink erasers
- Yellow highlighters
- Spiral-bound notebooks
- Ruler with both US and metric measurements
- Three-hole punch
- Pencil case that fits in a binder
- Binder dividers (the kind with pockets are good for loose papers)
- Index cards
- Glue sticks or white glue
- Pencil pouch that goes in a three ring binder
- Packages of six subject dividers – no pockets
- Crayons (24 count)
- Colored markers
- Backpacks
You can also check school supply lists at the Chehalis School District website.
