CENTERVILLE—Kids are headed back to school Aug. 18 and the rush is on to get them outfitted for the first day but not everyone has the means to do that. The Davis Education Foundation held its annual Child Spree event recently and served 500 students in need. 

Volunteers shopped at the Centerville, Layton and Clinton Kohl’s armed with a new secure app custom built for the Foundation that provided the volunteers with specific information for the child they were shopping for. 

“In past years, we used a Microsoft-based app to help manage the process, but Microsoft shut that platform down earlier this year,” said Scott Foster, Davis Education Foundation Marketing Coordinator. “So we built our own web app from scratch to keep the program running smoothly. Volunteers were able to log in and view the student’s profile, including sizes, preferences and even a short video the student recorded about their favorite colors and styles. The app also handled check-in, gift card entry and receipt upload, all from their phones.”

Child Spree is one of the biggest annual events, said Foster. “We work with Kohl’s to provide brand new clothes, shoes and essentials for hundreds of local kids in need. Each student is nominated by a teacher or counselor, and volunteers shop on their behalf using a personalized list of needs, sizes and preferences – kind of like a back-to-school wishlist.”

Corporate and individual donations made it possible for each student to receive a $150 Kohl’s gift card. Some volunteers added their own donations to the amount as well, he said. Kohl’s opened early to help make the event as seamless as possible.

“We wanted to create more than a transaction,” said Jodi Lunt, executive director of Davis Education Foundation. “With this app, our volunteers aren’t just shopping for clothes. They’re seeing the child, hearing their hopes for the first day of school and feeling the joy that comes with giving back in such a personal way.”