Checkexpress currency exchange has been operating in and around Chicago for 85+ years. Our company has a long standing tradition of giving back to the people, communities, and neighborhoods we serve. While the endless days of summer have arrived, the focus is already on back to school in the stores. One of our long standing projects is assembling signature school supply kits through our program: Back 2 School Illinois…
B2SI works with a number of different community organizations, schools and government agencies to distribute our school supplies and get them in the hands of children in need. They help provide school supplies to deserving children. Sign up and join them at their “‘BIG’ Distribution & Activity Day” event on August 8th for a fun and inspirational evening as we come together to support our organization’s efforts to create and provide educational opportunities that enrich the lives of Illinois children!
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” – Nelson Mandela
What They Do
Back 2 School Illinois (formerly The Illinois Currency Exchange Charitable Foundation) was formed in 2010, by the Community Currency Exchange Association of Illinois (CCEA), which represents more than 350 Currency Exchanges in the state. The roots of the organization were planted a number of years early when the first free school supply distribution was launched.
During the next decade, the school supplies program continued to expand reaching more and more children from low-income families. As the program evolved, supplies were distributed in the form of Back 2 School kits, each containing the core supplies that students need to succeed in the classroom. To facilitate the distribution of these kits, partnerships have been developed with numerous community organizations and government agencies. In 2015, our Build-A-Kit initiative, which allows companies to purchase school supplies in bulk and assemble them into kits, as part of a team building exercise, has helped to accelerate the growth of the Back 2 School program.
While the Back 2 School program remains the main thrust of the organization’s efforts, the program is truly a year round effort that also offers other opportunities that fit within the guidelines of our mission including a college scholarship program.
B2SI Programs
Free School Supplies
- Our Back 2 School initiative is the largest school supply distribution program in the entire state. In 2018, we provided over 1 MILLION school supplies to 35,233 underprivileged children through government agencies and community organizations/schools. The bulk of our supplies are distributed in the form of Back 2 School kits, each containing approximately 30 school supplies that are age-appropriate for the recipient
College Scholarship
- Each year we provide scholarships to deserving Illinois high school seniors so they can attend college. We offer $2,500 scholarships that can be applied to their freshmen year of studies. Read more about the 2019 College Scholarship Winners!
