SOLON, Ohio, Oct. 30, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Efficient Collaborative Retail Marketing (ECRM®), a global leader in driving long-term, critical business relationships, is teaming up with the Kids in Need Foundation(KINF) to honor America’s teachers and provide critical school supplies to those most in need. ECRM’s School & Office program will be raising money for the foundation and recognizing both a teacher and a retailer for their efforts in ensuring that their students have the tools they need to learn and succeed in the classroom.
“We are very excited to expand our multi-year partnership with KINF for this special activation and continue to provide great value for the School & Office products industry,” said Jeff Smalley, senior vice president and general manager at ECRM. “With so many teachers going into their own pockets to purchase supplies for their students, we knew we had to find a way to give them meaningful support and help our industry get involved.”
The activation will culminate just in time for back-to-school, with special events to be held during the 2020 ECRM School & Office program, held at The Phoenician, Scottsdale AZ August 9th – August 13th 2020. This annual program is attended by many industry stakeholders including suppliers, retailers, and distributors, who will have participated in promoting and supporting selected teachers throughout the year. On August 9th, ECRM will host an awards gala, preceded by a charity golf outing with a portion of the proceeds to be donated to KINF. A special guest speaker(s) will be announced shortly, and sponsorship opportunities exist for each hole of golf.
ECRM Teacher of the Year
The ECRM Teacher of the Year candidates will be among the 14,000 who have applied for Teacher Supply Boxes from Kids In Need Foundation. Teachers in the program share their story detailing how receiving free supplies from KINF would impact their classroom in ways like creating more equitable learning environments or improving student behavior and interest in learning.
Participating ECRM suppliers and retailers will have the opportunity to identify teacher candidates for the ECRM Teacher of the Year award and to advocate for them throughout the first half of 2020. Participants will also amplify their teacher’s story and provide them with two Teacher Supply Boxes containing a classroom’s worth of school supplies. The winning teacher will receive an all-expenses paid trip to The Phoenician Hotel and be recognized at the August 9 gala event.
“We want to thank ECRM for creating this opportunity to recognize the amazing teachers across the country who are dedicated to providing for their students’ futures,” said Kids In Need chief executive officer Corey Gordon. “Teachers should not have to spend money out of their own pockets to provide supplies and this program will help encourage donations of these critical resources throughout the school year as well as deepen our foundation’s partnerships within the school and office supplies industry.”
To learn more about Kids in Need Foundation, visit www.kinf.org or www.giftateacher.org. For more information about ECRM School & Office Supplies program, visit www.ecrm.marketgate.com.
About ECRM School & Office Supplies Program
The ECRM School & Office program is the leading facilitator of bringing together buyers, sellers and distributors for the back to school categories across the U.S. In addition to participate in the golf outing and the gala the participants will receive the following benefits-
- 2-3 days of face-to-face appointments with buyers
- Educational programs including micro-influencers present to talk about 2021 and 2022 trends by age group
- Coverage includes all back to school categories
- Consumer technology presence included with special STEM focus
- Box Kit companies will have an enhanced presence
About Kids In Need Foundation
The Kids In Need Foundation’s mission is to ensure that every child is prepared to learn and succeed in the classroom by providing free school supplies nationally to students most in need. The Kids In Need Foundation, a national 501(c)(3) charitable organization founded in 1995, has distributed $1 billion in school supplies, directly benefiting more than 6 million students and nearly 200,000 teachers in 2018. For more information, visit KINF.org, and join us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram: @KidsInNeed.
Media Contact:
Jeff Smalley, Senior Vice President Sales- GM
Telephone: 203-631-8762
Email: jsmalley@ecrm.marketgate.com
Website: www.ecrm.marketgate.com