Last year, SkyLine's Directory Collection Drive netted a total of 27,658 directories, with over $6,900 awarded to participating schools!
Cove Creek Elementary led the schools in collections with 4,825 total books.

PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS

Alleghany County
Alleghany High • Glade Creek Elementary
Piney Creek Elementary • Sparta Elementary

Ashe County
Ashe County High • Ashe County Middle • Blue Ridge Elementary Mountain View Elementary • Westwood Elementary

Avery County
Avery High • Banner Elk Elementary • Beech Mountain Elementary Freedom Trail Elementary

Watauga County
Watauga High • Bethel Elementary • Cove Creek Elementary
Mabel Elementary • Valle Crucis Elementary

Johnson County, TN
Shady Valley Elementary

From January 1 through March 31 of each year, area public schools partner with SkyLine in a directory collection/recycling effort. For each old directory collected by schools, they 25 cents from SkyLine. In the history of the collection drive, more than $81,000 has been awarded to schools. In addition to the participating schools, all SkyLine Customer Service Centers serve as collection sites throughout the calendar year, with credit given to the schools for what is collected at these locations.

The books collected from the drive are baled and sent to recycling centers, where some are ground and used toward the production of hydro-seeding mulches, while others are bound and shipped to paper mills to be recycled into paper products.

About the Program:
The Directory Collection Drive promotes the benefits of recycling while providing monetary support to various worthy projects at participating public schools. For each old SkyLine telephone directory collected, schools receive 25 cents. During the life of the program, for library acquisitions, school beautification projects, field trips and even a college scholarship.

Books collected from the drive are baled and sent to recycling centers, where some are ground and used toward the production of hydroseeding mulches, while others are bound and shipped to paper mills to be recycled into paper products.

How it Started:
In 1993, landfill space was becoming a major concern, so SkyLine created the Directory Drive Program to limit the amount of paper waste that goes to area landfills, while encouraging the benefits of recycling to their members and communities. As an incentive to get the schools to participate and to teach children about recycling, SkyLine contributed 25 cents for each out-of-date directory brought in by students. Additionally, SkyLine received old phone books at each of the Customer Service Centers, with credit for those directories given evenly to the schools.

From the introductory year of raising $2,958 and collecting 11,830 old directories, this worthwhile program has enriched school programs and benefitted overcrowded landfills.