American Idol and pop star Jordin Sparks sings, “Tell me how I’m supposed to breathe with no air,” in her recent love duet with Chris Brown. Now, she’s asking how teens are supposed to do school work with no supplies.

Sparks recently joined with the Web site DoSomething.org and Staples Inc. to resolve this problem with a national back-to-school supply drive.

“I’m very excited to be involved with the Do Something 101 campaign and to help motivate teens to get involved,” Sparks said. “There are so many kids in America who need school supplies and don’t have them, and all somebody has to do is donate. It’s so easy.”

The Do Something 101 campaign, running through Aug. 31, encourages teens to collect school supplies and drop them off at their nearest Staples stores.

Locally, school supplies will be given to the Boys & Girls Clubs of North Alabama, an educational and not-for-profit organization that serves disadvantaged youth.

Athens teens may drop off supplies at the local Staples store at 1036 U.S. 72 East.

Staples kick-started the campaign by donating $50,000 in school supplies to the national cause. In addition, Staples customers can also get involved by donating $2 at any Staples store and 100 percent of the proceeds will go to local teens in need.

Staples will also hold Teacher Appreciation Day from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, July 26, at its store in Athens.

“A tough economy and tighter budgets mean teachers are spending more of their own money to keep their classrooms stocked,” said Shira Goodman, executive vice-president of marketing for Staples. “Teacher Appreciation Day is our way of letting teachers know how much they are valued and to make it easy for them to have the supplies they need to do their job. Last year, more than 280,000 teachers came to Staples stores nationwide to receive Teacher Appreciation Day gift bags, and we hope to help even more teachers in 2008.”

The first 200 teachers visiting Staples stores on July 26 will receive raffle prizes and a chance to win a 512MB Flash Drive giveaway. Teachers may also sign up for Staples teacher rewards, another way to help teachers who spend their own money on school supplies.

DoSomething.org bills itself as “a community where young people learn to listen, speak, vote, volunteer, ask and take action to make the world a better place.”

Its mission is “to inspire, support and celebrate a generation of do-ers; people who see the need to do something, believe in their ability to get it done and then take action.”