As part of its ongoing commitment to support education, RIDGID, a part of Emerson’s professional tools portfolio, and its employees donated a variety of school supplies to the Elyria City School District as part of a back-to-school supply drive sponsored by Mosaic, an Emerson employee resource group focused on serving the community, celebrating cultural diversity, and supporting future leaders through educational initiatives. The supplies, including writing utensils, glue sticks, scissors and backpacks, will be used in elementary school classrooms across the district so all students have the resources needed to learn and succeed.

“RIDGID is proud to be able to support Elyria students by providing additional school supplies to classrooms through our Mosaic school supply drive,” said Manirajan Manivannan, senior project manager, Professional Tools, and founder/global chair, Mosaic for Emerson. “One of our goals through Mosaic is to take part in activities that bring us together as a community and embrace how our diverse cultures make anything possible.”

As part of the donation, Emerson’s Mosaic team created special age-appropriate activity sheets for young students that encouraged them to welcome inclusive cultures within their classrooms. “We want to provide the next generation of leaders with information regarding the benefits of cultural diversity and empathy,” Manivannan said.

As part of RIDGID’s ongoing commitment to education and fostering the skills of the next generation, employees regularly volunteer in the school district and demonstrate the role science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) plays in manufacturing through student tours at its state-of-the-art manufacturing center.

Over the years, RIDGID has also sponsored many other key projects with the school district, including a technology lab, new computer equipment for students, and the district’s Maker Space — a learning area dedicated to fostering STEM education.

“We’re thrilled to have RIDGID’s support on such an important initiative. These extra supplies will go a long way in helping teachers and students focus on learning and eliminate concern over whether they will have the resources needed to make it through the school year,” said Amy Higgins, communications director, Elyria Schools.