“The third annual Back-To-School project is under way, with a goal of helping South Whidbey students in the coming year by providing them with needed school clothes and supplies. Last year, the community raised over $5,000 in donations, which helped approximately 130 children. They were able to start school with a positive attitude and the excitement of knowing that they were like many of their classmate with new clothes, shoes, haircuts and the required school supplies, said Mickie Nowlin, Readiness to Learn coordinator. The Back-to-School project is coordinated by Readiness to Learn and the South Whidbey Family Resource Center and began with a recent fund-raising event sponsored by the Clyde Theatre.Many parents who participated in the project wrote thank you notes that expressed how important it was for their children, and how it lessened the burden of an already overextended budget, Nowlin said.Knowlin said one parent said, It is so difficult for our kids to go to school with all hand-me-downs, when they know other kids will be dressed in new clothes.Gail LaVassar, director of the Family Resource Center, said she has heard over and over again from parents and children, about how important it is to feel good about yourself when you go to school the first day. Last year, families who had received help in the past were among the donors who supported the program, said LaVassar. The program was there when their family needed it, they said, so they wanted to reciprocate by helping other children.St. Hubert Catholic Church has been collecting school supplies for children for many years, and this year they will collect and distribute supplies through the Back-To-School project. Other members of the community who would like to donate supplies can drop them off at the Family Resource Center, the portable building behind the South Whidbey Intermediate School, or at the South Whidbey School District office. Identify them as Readiness to Learn/B-T School.Monetary contributions will purchase gift certificates for school clothes.The goal for this year’s drive is to again raise over $5,000, Nowlin said. Donations should be made to the Readiness To Learn Foundation, P.O. Box 346, Langley, WA. 98260. The RTL Foundation is nonprofit; donations may be tax deductible.If you need help getting kids ready for school, contact any of the following agencies to be referred to the project: Helping Hand, 221-7777; Readiness To Learn, 221-6198, ext. 2242; Family Resource Center, 221-6198, ext. 4602; Good Cheer, 221-6454.Eligible families who reside on South Whidbey and can demonstrate a need for financial support will receive gift certificates while supplies last. This year the RTL program has also partnered with the Opportunity Council in Oak Harbor to sponsor a Back-To-School project for families in Oak Harbor and Coupeville. Donations can be sent to the Opportunity Council office at 1791 NE First Ave., Oak Harbor, 98277 or call 360-679-6577; checks can be made out to RTL Whidbey Foundation. “