Keesler Federal Credit Union’s Bright Futures program provided school supplies to more than 20,000 public school kindergarten students in Mississippi and Louisiana for the new school year.

Bright Futures, Keesler Federal’s largest community giveback initiative, continues to support students and families within the credit union’s service areas. Since its launch in 2019, the program has provided supplies to more than 70,000 kindergartners.

“Supporting our communities is at the core of what we do, and there’s nothing more meaningful than helping our children start their educational journey on the right foot,” said Andrew Swoger, president and CEO of Keesler Federal Credit Union. “This year, we expanded our program to new school districts to ensure more students have the tools they need to succeed.”

For the 2024-25 school year, the Bright Futures program benefitted students in 27 school districts and 201 public elementary schools, including new districts in St. Tammany and Jefferson Parish.

The program supplied 5,854 students across five school districts and 62 public schools in the Mississippi Coastal Region and 3,849 students in nine and 30 public schools in the Hattiesburg metro area. In the Jackson metro area, 3,066 students received supplies in five districts and 40 public schools. The Jefferson Parish School District received supplies for 4,351 students in 46 public schools, while the St. Tammany Parish School District received supplies for 3,103 students in 23 public schools.

Keesler Federal team members were critical in distributing the supplies and loading boxes into school vehicles at designated pickup locations. Each student received a box containing blunt scissors, markers, crayons, tissues, construction paper, pencils, pocket folders, highlighters, glue sticks, and erasers.