Staples steps up to boost graduation rates

Staples is donating the tools and resources necessary to make graduation happen for thousands of students across the country -- and throwing in a little Taylor Swift to boot.

The retailer announced that now through May 30, it will match 15% of the face value of Staples brand gift card purchases up to $125,000 and donate the proceeds to City Year, an education-focused organization dedicated to helping students and schools succeed. In addition, this spring Staples will deliver $40,000 of essential school supplies to 262 City Year classrooms across the country as part of its Classroom in a Box initiative. The Classroom in a Box includes Staples brand products such as paper, markers, notebooks, notecards, glue sticks and more.

“Through our commitment to City Year with the Staples gift card match donations and our Classroom in a Box program, we are thrilled to be providing necessary school supplies and tools to help the organization’s important mission of making graduation happen,” said Frank Bifulco, executive vice president global marketing, Staples. “We are proud to work with City Year and supply the resources to help students achieve academic and future success.”

Locations throughout the country that will receive the “Classroom in a Box” include: Baton Rouge, Chicago, Cleveland, Columbia, Columbus, Denver, Detroit, Jacksonville, Little Rock, Los Angeles, Miami, Milwaukee, New Hampshire, New Orleans, New York, Orlando, Rhode Island, Sacramento, San Antonio, San Jose/Silicon Valley, Seattle, Tulsa and Washington, D.C. A total of 262 schools and 170,000 students will be directly impacted by the donations.

“We are grateful for Staples investment in City Year and its dedication to help increase high school graduation rates,” said Chris Mann, City Year Vice President Corporate Partnerships. “Every year, almost 800,000 students drop out of school. We know that students who graduate high school are on a path to greater success. We are grateful to Staples for providing much needed tools and supplies to help make this a reality in the schools our passionate team members serve.”

In addition to the Staples gift card match donation and Classroom in a Box programs, Staples will celebrate graduation with a sweepstakes, awarding a trip for two to Los Angeles and the Staples Center to see Taylor Swift in concert in August. Consumers can enter May 3 through May 30 by tweeting a story about who helped and inspired them to graduate and include @Staples, #MakeGradsHappen and #Sweeps in their tweet.