PSO Helps Stuff the Bus!

At Puget Sound Orthopaedics, we strive to provide the highest level of care not only to our patients, but also to our amazing community. Recently, PSO participated in the Stuff the Bus School Supply Drive, an event planned by Communities in Schools (CIS), an organization dedicated to helping and empowering students.  Since 2008, businesses, families and organizations throughout Pierce County have joined together to donate thousands of school supplies for Stuff the Bus.  At Puget Sound Orthopaedics, employees from all 3 of our clinic locations generously donated hundreds of supplies.  Once all donations were delivered to Mt. Tahoma High School, dozens of volunteers came together to stuff back packs to donate to students in need.  This year, enough school supplies were collected during the drive for CIS to donate 1,262 backpacks to 24 schools in the Tacoma district.  Additional supply donations were also made to Franklin-Pierce and Bethel school districts.  An estimated 3,000 students will be served by this supply drive.  Outstanding!

Generosity Can Change Lives

Not having the necessary school supplies at the beginning of the year can directly affect a student’s motivation to stay in school.  By participating in Stuff the Bus, PSO is helping students in our community stay in school and stay on track to graduate.  Nova Hernandez, the Director of Strategic Impact Initiatives for CIS of Tacoma explains, “For students that are at risk for dropping out, having that set of available supplies and the person to encourage them to go back to class – that is impeccable for them.”  During the 2015-2016 school year, 91% of seniors who were assisted by CIS case managers graduated high school.  At PSO, we can’t wait to hear how this year’s CIS seniors performed in school!

PSO chooses to align itself with organizations like Communities in Schools because we believe in and support their philosophies and mission statements.  “CIS’ mission has been the same for 40 years,” says Nova.  “We work in public schools to surround students with a community of support and empower them to stay in school and achieve in life.”  PSO also believes in supporting and empowering our community members, from the youngest of students to senior citizens.  Our #1 priority is to care for our patients and help them maintain the healthiest lifestyle possible.  We will continue to provide exceptional medical care in Pierce County and participate in local events and fundraisers with organizations like CIS whenever possible.

To learn more about Communities in Schools of Tacoma, please visit https://tacoma.ciswa.org/.

This post was written by Leslie Kelling.