SOLON, Ohio — During the Solon Schools’ inaugural Tools for School drive, community members filled a school bus with necessary supplies at Bicentennial Park, transforming the back-to-school season into an act of kindness and support for nearby families.
According to Tamara Strom, director of communications for Solon Schools, the event, which took place during the Solon Farmers Market on August 13, went above and above expectations.
“It was an incredible event,” Strom added. Over the course of three hours, we kept unloading the bus. The following day, we finally sorted all of the materials. Luke Kamath and Kenzie Sullivan, two Solon Middle School student volunteers, were especially helpful with the sorting.
Boxes containing necessities were packed by donations and given to nearby households as well as the district. A significant amount was donated to the Twinsburg-based Our Community Hunger Center, which provides food to around 125 families in Solon. Depending on the most requested needs, extra supplies were sent straight to each school.
According to Strom, this was a positive experience from the time the bus pulled there. Our hopes were surpassed by the Tools for School supply campaign, which amply illustrated the value of community cooperation. A physical reminder of how much our community values education is provided when we witness a school bus literally loaded with the necessities that our schools and students most need.
Snacks and breakfast items free of nuts and peanuts are still in high need for classrooms, according to organizers, and donations are still appreciated.
The Valtronic Cares Committee, the City of Solon, and Solon Schools collaborated on the project. The event was organized and staffed in part by Valtronic, a manufacturing located in Solon, and its employee-led outreach group. A number of Valtronic volunteers expressed their pride in witnessing the significant impact of their work.
Hannah Weber, a Valtronic quality engineer and committee member, stated that the establishment of Valtronic Cares was motivated by initiatives such as Tools for School. The community coming together to support the local schools was amazing, and I’m excited to see what we can all do the following year.
Strategic Account Manager and committee treasurer Jacqueline Conklin, another Valtronic volunteer, said the tremendous attendance was particularly remarkable considering how fast the event was organized.
The event was a huge success considering it was an inaugural event that was just scheduled a few weeks in advance. We appreciate the generosity of the Solon community and look forward to many Tools for School activities in the future.
Families who came in with donations also made the day special, according to Strom. For the first time, a few young pupils even boarded a Solon school bus.
Connecting with so many community people who came by to give goods was what made the event even more memorable, according to Strom. Their generosity and kindness were very amazing. We were also overjoyed to see so many Solon students enjoy their time on the bus, particularly several of our new Comet kindergarteners who were able to board a yellow Solon school bus for the first time during the event.
Students from Solon knew Dan Elswick, the bus driver for the day.
According to Strom, the students refer to him as Papa Dan.
On August 17, supplies were sent to the hunger center, and on August 18, more items were given out to schools.
With grades 1–12 starting on August 20, kindergarteners on August 22, and preschoolers on August 25, Solon students are returning to their classrooms this week, putting the materials gathered during the Tools for School drive to immediate use as the 2025–2026 academic year gets underway.
