Sammamish Family YMCA, and Others, Hold Backpack and School Supply Drive

Several YMCAs on the Eastside - including the Sammamish Family YMCA - are collecting backpacks and school supplies from Tuesday through Aug. 19 to help foster children in the region.

The drive is in honor of a teenager named Nicole, who lost her father when she was six years old. Their mother was unable to care for her and her sister - and Nicole parted from her mom with only a backpack with her prized belongings, the YMCA said. When Nicole was 16, she passed away after a car accident.

The Sammamish Family YMCA, Coal Creek Family YMCA and Bellevue Family YMCA are collecting sturdy backpacks (suitable for middle and high school students), pens, paper (lined loose leaf packs), binders, new or used graphing calculators and highlighters as part of the drive.

The items will be donated to young people through Treehouse or the Downtown Seattle YMCA's Independent Living Program of teenagers who are homeless.

The three YMCAs are located at:

Sammamish Family YMCA, 4221 228th Ave SE,Issaquah. Phone: 425-391-4840

, 14230 Bel-Red Rd, Bellevue. Phone: 425-746-9900.

Coal Creek Family YMCA, 13750 Newcastle Golf Club Rd, Newcastle. Phone:  425-282-1500

Editor's note: Before I started working as editor of Sammamish Patch, I was a membership services representative at the Coal Creek Family YMCA. This information is being posted as a public service announcement.