With another school year right around the corner, we’ve been thinking about the kids in our care and everything it takes to help them feel ready, not just on the outside with new supplies, clothes, and shoes, but on the inside too.
You may remember Eric. He came to live with Mom and Dad P. during the COVID-19 pandemic. He couldn’t read a single word when second grade started. Every day felt like too much. He would run out of the classroom because it felt safer to leave than to try and fail again.
Over time, with the right people supporting him, he stopped running. He stayed. He learned how to work through hard things. He finished the year reading at his grade level.
It wasn’t magic. It was stability, patience, and people who didn’t give up on him.
And then there’s Elijah. He started first grade halfway through the year, already so far behind. His new mom, raising him on her own, was doing her best, but everything about going back to school felt overwhelming. Lists of supplies, new clothes, shoes that fit—it adds up fast.
Thanks to people like you, Elijah didn’t have to worry about whether his backpack looked like everyone else’s or if he had the right crayons.
A backpack that looks like everyone else’s isn’t just about supplies.
It’s about a child knowing they matter and that they deserve the same care and attention as anyone else. What he carried that first day wasn’t just supplies. It was hope.
We share these stories because right now, more kids are getting ready for another school year. And behind every backpack and binder is a child who just wants to feel like they belong.
When you give to TBHC during Back-to-School time, you help with all the things that seem small but aren’t:
- School supplies & materials
- Clothing and shoes
- Educational support & tutoring
- Transportation needs
- Extracurricular opportunities
These aren’t luxuries. They’re how kids start to feel steady again—at school, at home, and in life.
Click here to support children as they go back to school this year: tbhc.org/ways-to-give
