Baystate Mary Lane, Baystate Wing Employees Donate School Supplies

WARE — On Aug., 15, Baystate Mary Lane and Baystate Wing Hospital employees helped to make school a better place for students and teachers at both Palmer and Ware public schools by donating school supplies. The supplies were the results of the employees’ adopt-a-classroom initiative that included folders, spiral notebooks, pens, pencils, glue sticks, Post-it Notes, calculators, disinfectant wipes, crayons, and more.

“The generosity of the staff from Baystate Mary Lane and Baystate Wing Hospital is overwhelming,” said Marlene DiLeo, superintendent of Ware Public Schools. “Their kindness and thoughtfulness is felt at both Stanley M. Koziol Elementary School and Ware Middle School.”

Staff from the Ware and Palmer campuses donated more than 1,400 items to the schools that are needed by students to begin a new school year but that not every family can necessarily afford.

“We are deeply touched by the generosity of our community and the efforts of Baystate Mary Lane and Baystate Wing Hospital and their employees as, for a second year, they have provided much-needed school supplies through their school-supply drive,” said Patricia Gardner, superintendent of Palmer Public Schools. “It is beyond words to express how much this relationship means to the Palmer Public Schools.”

Added Mike Moran, president and chief administrative officer of Baystate Health’s Eastern Region, “we know that education is a powerful tool in the health and well-being of a community. We want students to know that we believe in them. Providing students with some of the resources they need helps with the first steps to building self-esteem and confidence for a successful future.”