Lawrence Schools Foundation

Thank you for all that you do! ❤️

A heartfelt THANK YOU to Stitch On and the incredible group of sewers, stitchers, and community volunteers who generously shared their time, talent, and creativity to support our students!

Together, they handcrafted more than 175 unique pencil bags in a variety of fun colors, patterns, and styles for our Lawrence Public Schools students.

Every stitch represents kindness, generosity, and a reminder to our students that their community cares about them. These handmade gifts will bring smiles to so many students and educators as they head back to school.

Thank you for using your talents to make a lasting difference—one pencil bag at a time!

It's Almost Here! Our 3rd Annual Kids Expo is THIS SATURDAY!

📅 Saturday, August 8
⏰ 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM
📍 Lawrence Public Schools District Office/Campus
110 McDonald Drive

We're counting down the days to what is shaping up to be our BIGGEST Kids Expo yet!

This year, we're welcoming 75+ businesses, organizations, and community partners who are coming together to make sure local students and families are ready for a successful school year.

✨ Here's what families can enjoy:
🎒 FREE backpacks & school supplies
👟 FREE new shoes
💇 FREE haircuts (By appt only)
🌭 FREE food & drinks
🎨 Activities & games
🎁 Prizes & giveaways
⭐ Special guests
…and so much more!

The best part? Everything is completely FREE for students and families.

For one special day, families can set aside the stress and financial worries that often come with preparing for a new school year. Instead, they can simply enjoy time together, feel welcomed, and know they are supported by a community that truly cares.

Last year, more than 2,000 people attended—and we're expecting an even bigger crowd this year!

NEW THIS YEAR! We've expanded the Expo!
Please check out our updated event map, featuring:
✅ Vendor locations
✅ Our new Family Engagement Center
✅ Separate entrances for shoes, backpacks, and haircuts to improve traffic flow and reduce wait times

📌 Please Note:
• STUDENTS MUST BE PRESENT to receive backpacks, school supplies, shoes, and haircuts.
• Supplies are available while they last.
• Please allow extra time for parking and lines due to the large attendance expected.

We can't wait to welcome our community for a day filled with fun, connection, and everything students need to start the school year with confidence. See you Saturday!

Before the doors even open, our community has already made a tremendous difference. 💙

A HUGE thank you to every volunteer, donor, business, and community partner who gave their time, resources, and hearts to help pack backpacks and prepare for our 3rd Annual Kids Expo this Saturday!

Because of your generosity, we will be able to provide more than 1,500 backpacks filled with school supplies, and more than 1,200 pairs of brand-new pair of shoes at this years event - and donations are still coming in!

Thank you to all of the businesses who were also collection sites this year!

Together, we're helping students start the school year with confidence and showing them that our community believes in their future. Thank you for making this possible!

Behind the scenes, the excitement is building! 🎒👟

Today, our incredible team was hard at work preparing for the 3rd Annual Kids Expo happening next Saturday, August 8!

✅ Packed the first 600 pre-filled backpacks with school supplies. (More to come!)

✅ Unpacked, sorted, and organized more than 1,000 pairs of brand-new shoes—from our youngest Pre-K students all the way through high school—to help Lawrence Public Schools students head back to school with confidence.

Every backpack packed and every pair of shoes sorted brings us one step closer to helping hundreds of local students start the school year ready to learn and succeed.

A huge thank you to our amazing volunteers, donors, and community partners who are making this possible.

And we're not done yet... more exciting things are still to come! Stay tuned as we count down to the 3rd Annual Kids Expo on Saturday, August 8, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. We can't wait to share this special day with our community!

We are so grateful for the continued support of the City of Lawrence, Kansas - Municipal Government! ✏️📚

City hosts annual School Supplies for Fines drive The City of Lawrence Municipal Court is holding the fourth annual School Supplies for Fines drive, starting July 13 and running through August 21. This program is designed to help individuals with ... Read More

We're proud to partner with businesses that are investing in the future of our community!

Looking for your next career opportunity? Check out the Amcor Career Fair & Open House on Friday, July 24, from 9:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. Meet the team, tour the facility, enjoy food, networking, and learn about exciting career opportunities with a global leader in packaging solutions. Open positions include Machine Operators, Process Technicians, Maintenance Technicians, Automation Technicians, Material Handlers, and more.

📍 2330 Packer Rd., Lawrence, KS (North Parking Lot)

At the Lawrence Schools Foundation, we believe strong partnerships between education and local industry help connect students, families, and community members with meaningful career pathways.

Best of luck to our friends at Amcor Packaging for a successful event!

We're just 3 WEEKS AWAY from the 3rd Annual Kids Expo!

Join the Lawrence Schools Foundation on Saturday, August 8 | 9:00 AM–1:00 PM as we help thousands of local students and families get ready for the new school year.

Last year, more than 2,000 community members attended—and this year's event will be even bigger! We'll be providing free shoes, backpacks, school supplies, books, haircuts, health screenings, family activities, entertainment, giveaways, and so much more.

💙 We need volunteers to help make it all happen! Whether you can help with setup, during the event, or cleanup, we'd love to have you on our team.

👕 All volunteers receive a FREE Kids Expo volunteer T-shirt!

Sign up today and help make a difference in the lives of local students!

Volunteer Sign-Up: https://shorturl.at/e91P6

🎒 Help Fill the Backpacks. Fuel the Future.

The 2026 Annual Douglas County Back2School Supply Drive is underway! Together with our community partners, we're helping local students start the school year ready to learn.
Last year, this incredible community effort provided backpacks and school supplies to approximately 1,800 students across Douglas County!

A special thank you to all of this year's business and organization collection sites for supporting local students and families. As you're out and about this July, please stop by one of their locations, drop off a donation, and thank their staff for helping make this drive a success.

Central Bank (all locations)
Chick Fil A
Commerce Bank (Iowa Street & Wakarusa locations)
Corpus Christi Church
Dillons at the Crossing
Eileens Colossal Cookies
Envista Credit Union (both locations)
First State Bank (both locations)
Hershey Salty Snacks
HyVee
Kurt Goeser State Farm Insurance
Lawrence Chamber of Commerce
Lawrence Habitat for Humanity Restore
LMH Health (both locations)
Lawrence Public Schools - 110 McDonald Drive
Mainstreet Credit Union
McGrew Real Estate
Meritrust Credit Union
MidAmerican Credit Union
Sylvan Learning Center of Lawrence
Truity Credit Union
Unity Church
Walmart (both locations)
*Bins also located in Eudora & Baldwin City

The donation drive will run July 1 - July 31

Every backpack, notebook, pencil, and school supply donated helps a student begin the school year prepared and confident.

Interested in joining our efforts?
Email: [email protected] or call: 785-330-1941

Together, we can make a difference!