The General Mills program Box Tops for Education, in conjunction with BET, is hosting a town hall discussion at Cosby Auditorium on the campus of Spelman College Thursday, January 24 at 7:00 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.
The focus of the town hall will be on strengthening active parental engagement in children’s primary education.
The event will be moderated by MSNBC contributor and executive editor of Politic365.com Jeff Johnson, and is sponsored by Walmart and Honey Nut Cheerios.
BET’s “Real Husbands of Hollywood” star Boris Kodjoe along with his wife, actress Nicole Ari Parker, as well as Spelman College president Dr. Beverly Tatum, and Box Tops for Education brand manager Tommy Hillman will participate in a panel discussion.
The event will bring together parents, teachers and community leaders in an effort to make a real impact on education in our schools systems. The City of Atlanta will also present a proclamation declaring January 24 “Box Tops for Education Day” in support of the program’s continuous efforts in the Atlanta school system.
“It’s an honor to have the support of the City of Atlanta and our engaging panelists to unite on an important topic that ultimately affects our future,” said Box Tops Brand Manager Tommy Hillman. “We all know the primary level is when children are first introduced to school activities like band, choir and sports, all of which can benefit from the Box Tops program. It is paramount to children’s success and we are excited to lead this discussion, which we believe will drive continued engagement among parents and schools.”
Since 1996, schools nationwide have earned more than $522 million through the Box Tops for Education program, including $47 million just since March 2012. Schools can earn up to $20,000 a year from the clip program and more through other programs offered online at the Box Tops website and other social media outlets.
The Box Tops for Education Town Hall will premiere in its entirety via BET.com Monday, February 4. Parents and community members can click on the link www.bet.com/btfetownhall to check out this riveting conversation and learn how to become more involved in their child’s education.
The Box Tops for Education program was designed to help combat some of the budget challenges many of our nation’s schools are facing by creating an easy way for community members to support schools without having to spend extra money. Participating brands include Honey Nut Cheerios cereal, Hamburger Helper skillet meals and Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal. Each participating brand carries a “Box Top” coupon worth 10 cents to a school, and unlimited funds can be earned by submitting the Box Tops to General Mills that can be used to purchase books, school supplies, playground equipment, teacher training, computers, etc.
One example of Box Tops in action is Greenforest McCalep Christian Academic Center. This Decatur private school has earned more than $8,000 since 2010.
Four mothers, each with full-time jobs, spearhead their Box Tops efforts. They work as a team by meeting once a month to create a strategy, then plan and organize contests. The funds earned are being used to purchase 30 computer monitors for teachers and projectors for classroom smart boards.
The Box Tops for Education Town Hall is a call-to-action to get parents, teachers and community members involved and help children succeed in school.
Those who are interested in Box Tops for Education will get a chance to speak with coordinators on site at the event, and can even sign up to be a coordinator at that time.
For more information about Box Tops for Education, please visit: www.btfe.com.
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