HENRICO COUNTY, Va. — A Glen Allen nonprofit is calling on the community to help students start the school year with the supplies they need to succeed.
One Small Chance will host its Third Annual School Supplies Drive on Saturday, Aug. 8, outside the Walmart at 11400 West Broad Street in Glen Allen from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Organizers are asking community members to donate new backpacks, folders, binders, pencils, pens, crayons, colored pencils, erasers and pencil sharpeners.
Volunteers will organize donations into backpacks and distribute them to local schools identified as having the greatest need.
"We communicate with teachers, counselors and school districts across Richmond, Hanover and Henrico to determine which schools need the most support," founder Chance Archer said. "We're very intentional about making sure these supplies go where they'll make the biggest impact."
Archer, a Hanover native, Patrick Henry High School graduate and University of Virginia graduate student pursuing an accelerated master's degree in public policy, founded One Small Chance at 17 years old after reflecting on his own experiences growing up in Richmond.
"A lot of students weren't getting basic school supplies or hygiene supplies," Archer said. "I remember students telling teachers their mom couldn't buy them simple things. I wanted to solve that problem."
Today, the nonprofit provides school supplies, hygiene products, mentorship opportunities and scholarships to disadvantaged youth across Central Virginia.
"I think our vision is seeing every child have someone to talk to, having a mentor, not having to go to school without school supplies or even simple things like deodorant or body wash," Archer said. "Seeing kids succeed inside the classroom and outside the classroom—that's what it's all about."
Leah Davis, a 20-year-old strategic communications and fashion merchandising student at Old Dominion University, serves as outreach lead for One Small Chance. Davis first connected with the organization while attending Patrick Henry High School with Archer and joined after completing a class project about the nonprofit.
"I thought, 'Wow, this is a really cool project. This is something I would love to be a part of,'" Davis said.
Davis says the drive benefits both students and the teachers who support them.
"We're really looking to get all of the resources—pencils, backpacks, paper and all of those things—so students can go into this next school year having everything they need," Davis said. "It helps the students, but it also helps the teachers because they don't have to worry about making sure every student has the supplies they need."
The concept is straightforward: community members are encouraged to stop by Walmart while doing their own shopping, purchase a few extra supplies and donate them outside the store. The nonprofit primarily serves elementary and middle school students but says the need exists throughout the region.
Archer says students experiencing hardship may be closer than many people realize.
"I think they're all around you," he said. "Sometimes people assume certain schools don't need help, and then we find out they're the schools that need it the most. It's more than a number. It's someone's life. It's someone's education. It allows them to pursue their goals and pursue their dreams."
For Davis, the measure of success this weekend goes beyond the number of backpacks collected.
"We want to get as much school supplies as possible so we can give all of the children who are in need as many resources and chances to succeed," she said.
Over the past 3 years, One Small Chance has expanded into multiple communities, organized food and hygiene drives, awarded scholarships, partnered with schools on STEM initiatives and athletic programs, and continues to recruit volunteers and mentors year-round.
Archer says every contribution helps sustain that work.
"One simple donation does so much for us because it allows us to continue giving scholarships and continue helping these kids," Archer said. "It really does change their lives."
Those unable to attend the event can volunteer, become a mentor or make a monetary donation through the nonprofit's website.
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