October 5 is World Teachers Day.

Before you think about the date, think about a teacher.

Think about the teacher whose name you still remember. The teacher who saw something in you before you knew how to see it in yourself. The teacher who encouraged you, corrected you, challenged you, protected you, or simply made you feel like you mattered.

For me, that teacher was Ms. Green.

I was in the third grade, and I still remember her like it was yesterday. Ms. Green taught me lessons that went far beyond reading, writing, and arithmetic. She taught me to be thankful. She taught me not to be selfish. She taught me to look out for the little guy. She taught me to help my classmates. She taught me what it meant to be of service to someone else.

She was the first person who introduced me to service.

I am still serving my community today because of lessons Ms. Green planted in me when I was eight years old.

That is the power of a teacher.

Teachers shape lives in ways they may never fully see. A child may leave their classroom and carry one sentence, one act of kindness, one moment of encouragement, for the next 40 or 50 years.

Yet we ask these same teachers to do something that should trouble all of us. We ask them to spend their own money to give our children the basic supplies they need to learn.

Paper. Pencils. Crayons. Markers. Notebooks. Classroom materials.

Why should the person we trust to educate our children have to reach into their own paycheck to make sure those children have what they need?

That is why JTA Foundation, Kerosene Lamp Foundation, and East Oakland Boxing Association are coming together for Supply the Future on World Teachers Day.

This is our opportunity to give something back.

You may be wondering how you can help.

Bring a box of crayons. Donate construction paper. Drop off notebooks, pens, pencils, folders, or classroom supplies. Ask your company if there are unopened office supplies sitting in a storage room that can be put to good use. Make a contribution. Or simply come by and say thank you to an educator.

You do not have to make a huge gesture.

You just have to show up.

Because every donation says, we see you.

Every box of supplies says, you should not have to do this alone.

Every thank you says, your work matters.

And every child who watches a community support its teachers learns something too. They learn that we value the people who educate them. They learn that service matters. They learn that taking care of one another matters.

On October 5, we invite you to think about your Ms. Green.

Say their name.

Remember what they gave you.

Then help us give something back to the teachers who are shaping the next generation right now.