RED SPRINGS 一 David McClish of Red Springs Fitness is hosting a school supply donation for a local elementary school.

“My little girl is going to kindergarten this year,” McClish said, “and I’ve been having a growing desire to make sure I’m a positive part of the community.”

In pursuit of that goal, he set up a donation table in the front lobby of the Red Springs Fitness Center.

McClish said he wants to spread health and wellness in his community, and working to ensure school children have access to the supplies they need was another step in taking care of those around him.

“As a kid, I never really thought about where some supplies came from,” he said. “I knew my parents got things, but if a teacher had a boatload of pencils to give out, I didn’t perceive where they came from.”

According to the National Education Association, teachers spend approximately $500-$750 of their own money on classroom supplies, notebooks and other essentials for students every school year. The donation drive will help Peterson Elementary School teachers, as they’ll have more freedom to purchase other things as the needs of the students will be met.

Rebecca Cole, a first-grade teacher at Peterson Elementary, said the donations will help her students see success in the classroom. “Knowing that they’re donated, even at the primary level, is important,” She said. “They need to know their community is as plugged into their education as [their teachers] are, as their parents are. It’ll make it that much more meaningful.”

McClish said over 50 people have donated to the drive since he set it up about three weeks ago, in addition to his and his staff’s contributions. They collected several backpacks, notebooks, writing utensils, and other valuable items and plan to leave the table until the end of next week to collect more donations.

Most of the donated items will be given out at Peterson Elementary School’s open house on August 22.

McClish said he plans to set up more donation drives and similar events in the future.

“I asked every member in my fitness community to donate what they could, and they did,” McClish said. “I’m very appreciative of what they did, and it opened my eyes to the power of a smaller community within a smaller community, and I’m excited to do it again.”