Funding will assist Joseph with his venture, PAX. PAX is focused on providing all students the opportunity to own a high-quality backpack that they can be proud of, whether they can afford one or not. For every backpack we sell, we will donate a second one to an underserved student in the U.S. This way, we can combine the charitable resourcefulness of a traditional backpack drive with the sustainablility of a for-profit social venture.
In communities all over the United States, students attend school every day without the supplies necessary to succeed in the classroom. In North Carolina, where PAX is based, close to 760,000 public school students are eligible for free or reduced price lunch according to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. In other words, over half of all public school students in North Carolina are at 130% of the poverty line or lower.
PAX is focused on providing all students the opportunity to own a high-quality backpack that they can be proud of, whether they can afford one or not. For every backpack we sell, we will donate a second one to an underserved student in the U.S. This way, we can combine the charitable resourcefulness of a traditional backpack drive with the sustainability of a for-profit social venture.
Our long-term goal is to give every student in the United States the opportunity to own a high-quality backpack. We plan to achieve this goal by creating a product that is functional, fashionable, and affordable. We don't expect to achieve this goal overnight-our plan is to start locally and expand outward regionally. Our targeted donations will send backpacks to the communities that are actively purchasing them so our customers are investing in their own community when they buy our product.
