Jones Foster Volunteers Support Education Foundation of Palm Beach County’s Signature Backpack Build
Jones Foster was proud to sponsor this year’s Education Foundation of Palm Beach County “Backpack Build,” a program designed to help prepare local students at Title I schools for a successful start to the new school year.
Through the Jones Foster Impact community involvement program, the firm also assembled a team of employees to join local businesses and community volunteers for a shift at the Education Foundation's new Lake Worth Beach headquarters.
The group filled backpacks with essential school supplies for students, helping ensure they have access to the tools they need for an equitable learning environment. The team's efforts contributed to the 9,990 backpacks collectively packed that week, which will benefit students at 14 local schools.
Education Foundation President and CEO James Gavrilos led the JF Impact Team on a behind-the-scenes tour of the facility, including its Red Apple Supplies store, the Foundation’s signature teacher resource program that provides free classroom materials to teachers at Title I schools.
During the tour, Mr. Gavrilos shared how the Foundation advances educational opportunities through grant-funded initiatives that support innovative academic and career programs across Palm Beach County. He highlighted several programs, including the HVAC Academy at Royal Palm Beach High School, the cybersecurity program at Santaluces High School, and the robotics program at Pahokee High School, which has helped boost graduation rates to 100% while creating new pathways to higher education. “We started with eight kids. There are 350 in the program right now,” Mr. Gavrilos said. “Those eight kids this year are incoming sophomores, all of them on full-ride four-year scholarships to universities in America. These programs are changing the trajectory of the lives of children.”
This year's Backpack Build is the Foundation's largest effort to date, with a goal of packing more than 36,000 backpacks for students at 55 Title I schools throughout Palm Beach County. The expanded initiative now includes backpacks for middle school students, helping even more children start the school year prepared, confident, and ready to learn.
About Jones Foster Impact
Through Jones Foster’s unique history, experience, and long-standing commitment to Palm Beach County, we have proudly supported our community for more than 100 years. The Firm’s founding partners instilled a true sense of public service that continues to serve as a fundamental value and ensure that our purpose goes beyond legal services. Our attorneys and staff collaborate regularly with a wide range of local organizations that inspire us to build a better future for us all. Learn more about the organizations and initiatives we support through Jones Foster’s community involvement program.