Washington Federal branches across Pima County have partnered with local nonprofit Youth on their Own and its annual “Back to School Challenge.” Now through October 1, please visit any of the below Washington Federal locations and make a donation to the cause:

  • 1833 S. 6th Ave. in Tucson
  • 4788 E. Sunrise Drive in Tucson
  • 5520 E. Grant Road in Tucson
  • 1315 W. Prince Road in Tucson
  • 8001 N. Oracle Road in Oro Valley

Donations needed include:

  • Adult-sized backpacks
  • Highlighters
  • Colored pencils
  • Markers
  • Scientific/graphing calculators
  • Index cards
  • Mechanical pencil
  • Flash drives
  • Folders
  • Composition notebooks
  • $10 or $25 gift cards to grocery and clothing stores

YOTO is a 501(c)(3) dropout prevention agency located at 1660 N. Alvernon Way in Tucson, Ariz. For more than 30 years, YOTO has supported the high school graduation of homeless youth by providing financial assistance, basic human needs, and one-on-one guidance. With the help of local communities, the goal of YOTO’s 2017 Back to School Challenge is to collect high-demand items for all 1,600 students anticipated to enroll in school by September.

“We know that back-to-school season can be a trying and stressful time for homeless youth, and we hope our participation in Youth On Their Own’s Back to School Challenge will have a positive impact on the lives of these kids,” said Kim Dees, Washington Federal Senior Vice President and Southern Arizona Division Manager. “Washington Federal cares about the relationships we create not only with our customers and stockholders, but in the community as well. With this in mind, our ‘Washington Federal Focus on Arizona’ community outreach and volunteer program was founded on a local level.”