Henry Schein’s “Back to School” Program Helping Students Around the Globe

While helping clinicians across the globe provide better oral care is one way to spread smiles, Henry Schein, Inc. also has brought smiles to children for almost 3 decades with its “Back to School” program that helps equip kids with backpacks full of much-needed school supplies and dental kits.

For the 27th consecutive year, Henry Schein is helping students worldwide start the academic year off right through the program, a flagship initiative of Henry Schein Cares, the company’s global corporate citizenship program. Team Schein Members (TSMs) at 40 locations in the U.S., Canada, U.K., and Ireland are helping 5,300 students gain confidence and excitement for the school year, with more events planned later this year in Italy and Spain.

The Back to School program—first introduced in 1998, reflects Henry Schein’s commitment to communities by empowering its TSMs with volunteer opportunities to support underserved children in partnership with local not-for-profit social service organizations. Team Schein Members join forces to give back, packing backpacks filled with school supplies and dental kits that prepare children with essentials for the upcoming school year. Since its inception, the program has expanded globally, serving more than 65,000 children across various sites where Henry Schein operates, the company states.

Last week Henry Schein hosted its “Back to School” event at its worldwide headquarters in Melville, N.Y. About 400 pre-identified children and their families received their packed backpacks along with a gift card to purchase first day-of-school outfits. The event included a barbeque, crafts, games, and other activities for family members to enjoy.

To reinforce the importance of education, the event featured a S.T.E.M. presentation and a tent with a variety of free books donated by TSMs and KPMG LLP–a U.S. audit, tax, and advisory firm–through its Family for Literacy program and its partnership with the nonprofit social enterprise, First Book. The fun-filled evening was just one of the many “Back to School” events held by Henry Schein around the world this season.

Click here see the company’s press release and to watch a video featuring volunteers and Stanley M. Bergman, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Henry Schein.

“Team Schein remains dedicated to ensuring children start the school year with confidence and excitement. By empowering these young minds with essential tools and resources, we are helping to nurture a brighter future for our communities,” Bergman states in the press release. “At Henry Schein, we are honored to continue supporting educational equity and inspiring children to reach their full potential.”

Henry Schein partnered with 10 Long Island-based social service organizations for the Melville event to pre-identify participating children and their families: Bethany House; Espoir Youth Program, Inc.; Family and Children’s Association; Hispanic Counseling Center; Iovino South Shore Family Center (Family Service League); SCO Madonna Heights; Social Service Volunteers of Nassau; The Raymar Children’s Association; WellLife Network; and YES Community Counseling Center.

“We are grateful to Henry Schein for their dedication to the children and families we serve and for our continued partnership on the Back to School initiative,” adds Suzette Gordon, president and CEO of SCO Family of Services. “This remarkable act of generosity prepares students for the school year and empowers children to achieve academic success. The backpacks represent so much more than school supplies–they instill hope, pride, and confidence in our students and their families. We extend our heartfelt thanks to Team Schein for their continued support of SCO Family of Services.”

To learn more about the “Back to School” program, and to see photos from other events, click here.

Henry Schein Cares aims to drive change through their 5 pillars: catalyzing health care access; advancing policies, solutions, and innovation; relationship building for change; empowering Team Schein; and sustaining the planet (CARES), the company says.