Friday, September 5, 1997 Section: Local Edition: Final Page: 1B

GEOFFREY TOMB Herald Staff Writer

Illustration: photo: Julian Sanchez with James Julian and Kamela Patton and Ashleigh Fata and Michelle Julian and Beth Davis and Marc Dobbins and Ryan Franze

Caption: DAVID BERGMAN / Herald Staff SEEKING DONATIONS: Julian Sanchez, from left, James Julian, Principal Kamela Patton, Ashleigh Fata, Michelle Julian, teacher Beth Davis, Marc Dobbins and Ryan Franze are all helping.

Parents do for kids. Teachers do for kids. Suddenly, there is a way for kids to do for kids. And it is catching on, spreading from one school in South Dade to Broward and possibly other counties.

Soon the world? Maybe.

Called Kids 4 Kids, the goal is to supply brand new backpacks filled with brand new school supplies for some 2,000 homeless students in Dade and Broward, plus students who have AIDS or are abused.

"There are not many ways for kids to do things for kids,'' said Beth Davis, a teacher at Jack Gordon Elementary School in Country Walk who inspired the voluntary program at the school last spring.

Her idea was to get all 1,600 kids at Gordon to provide enough new school supplies to fill a backpack for an estimated 500 homeless and needy students at various schools in the system.

Each grade level was asked to be responsible. Prekindergarten kids were asked to bring in a box of new crayons. Kindergarten kids were asked for notebook paper. Glue or paste came from the first-graders, composition books from second-graders, pencil cases from third-graders, scissors from fourth-graders and a spiral notebook from each fifth-grader.

By July, more than 550 backpacks jammed with supplies were ready. The stuff had to be new.

"I hated to be a snob but homeless kids are always getting everything hand- me-down,'' Davis said. "We wanted everything to be new.''

With back-to-school under way this week, requests began to pour in. A grandmother with 10 grandchildren who were evicted from their home called asking for help. There were homeless kids in Broward.

The 20 Target stores in Dade, Broward and Palm Beach agreed to serve through Sept. 12 as drop-off locations for anyone who wants to donate backpacks and supplies. Ryder System volunteered to pick up the donations. Newspapers, television and radio stations promoted the project. More donations. Other teachers at other schools are getting involved.

"Every day it grows a little. We've gotten so big,'' Davis said. "Kids are starting to want to make a difference. Until now, they have just lacked the vehicle.''

At a meeting after school Wednesday, kid organizers suggested the program expand to include get-well cards for kids in hospitals that kids would personally distribute and being pen pals.

Davis is now dreaming of becoming a national clearinghouse for children's school supplies.

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