WHEN COMMUNITY COMES TOGETHER:
Amazon and DPSCD Foundation Partner for Back-to-School Success
As thousands of students prepare to return to school this fall, the Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD) Foundation has received a powerful boost from a longstanding partner. Amazon has donated $25,000 to the Foundation to support families with essential back-to-school supplies. These funds will be distributed through the District’s Family and Community Engagement (FACE) department, which serves as a vital bridge between schools and the families they serve.
Amazon's $25,000 Gift: A Catalyst for Change
FACE works year-round to close that gap. Whether it’s providing school supplies, uniforms, hygiene kits, or community-based support, FACE meets families where they are, ensuring students can return to school with dignity, confidence, and the tools to thrive.
The $25,000 donation brings Amazon’s total support of DPSCD to $200,000, building on previous investments in STEM education, school-based initiatives, and family engagement efforts.
Voices of Impact: Testimonials from Our Community
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“This donation from Amazon is right on time as we prepare families to return back to school, day one ready,” said Sharlonda Buckman, Assistant Superintendent of FACE. “By fulfilling the critical gaps of families and students who are most in need, we help to ensure they start the year equipped and ready, thanks to our Foundation and Amazon.”
Sharlonda Buckman
Assistant Superintendent of FACE
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“At Amazon, we believe in the power of partnerships. Over the past five years, Amazon has been deeply committed to the next generation of Detroit students. This additional $25,000 builds on our financial, STEM, and broader partnership with DPSCD. Education is the cornerstone of thriving communities, and we’re honored to strengthen our commitment to empowering Detroit’s students and engaging families. When businesses and schools work together, we create powerful opportunities for youth to succeed. This continued investment reflects our belief in DPSCD’s mission and our dedication to making a lasting, positive impact in Metro Detroit.”
Ian Conyers
Community Engagement, Amazon
The Power of Preparedness
That impact is felt deeply by families who often experience the back-to-school season with more worry than celebration. One FACE coordinator recalls a mother who arrived at a distribution event in tears, worried that her child would start the school year without so much as a pencil. She left with a fully stocked backpack, a school uniform, and something more powerful: hope.
“The generosity of Amazon reminds our families that they are not alone,” said Kerrie Mitchell, President and CEO of the DPSCD Foundation. “Our mission is to support students beyond the classroom and remove obstacles to learning. These funds help us do that in a tangible, immediate way.”
The District echoes that urgency.
“Our families continue to face one of the highest levels of concentrated poverty in the nation,” said Nikolai Vitti, Ed.D. Superintendent, Detroit Public Schools Community District. “This reality impacts student attendance and therefore their achievement. We continue to be encouraged by more and more partners stepping forward, such as Amazon, to fill economic gaps for our families and their students through funding to provide school uniforms and basic needs, such as toiletries, to them. These investments in our families and students are allowing the District to narrow the gap in attendance and achievement between us and the State of Michigan.”
The donation will be formally presented during DPSCD’s final Summer on the Block daytime activation on Thursday, August 14, from 12–2 PM at Davison Elementary. The event will feature remarks from DPSCD leadership, Foundation Board Members, and Amazon representatives. It’s a fitting close to a summer full of community engagement and a powerful kickoff to a school year full of promise.
