Thank you to everyone who came together to help support this year’s annual Backpacks for Success program. Your contribution helped us serve 184 local community children by setting them up with the tools they need for success in the coming school year.

These “tools” come in many shapes and forms. A cursory glance at the program’s results may initially encourage an understanding that we are simply providing the mechanics required to meet the demands of a child’s curriculum. After all, backpacks, paper, and pencils are fundamental to completing assignments and we make sure they have what is recommended for their specific grade level’s needs. But while meeting these demands are goals of our program, we actually do so much more—and it is due to your support that we are able to do so.

Starting the school year with brand-new, stylish backpacks and quality learning materials provides children with confidence and self-esteem—two “tools” whose importance in a child’s success are unparalleled. The ability to start the school year off on a level footing with peers by arriving with these supplies means so much more to each of these children than initially meets the eye.