For most kids and teens, back to school is an exciting time. The days leading up to school are full of back-to-school shopping, picking out new backpacks, reading the last few chapters of summer reading books, and enjoying time just being a kid.
But for other families – it may not be nearly as exciting of a time. For some families, back-to-school requirements create a stressful, overwhelming experience. The added burden of buying new pencils and composition books can stretch a family thin and make them wonder how they’re going to make ends meet.
That’s why, at Kenzi’s Causes, one of our top priorities is making back-to-school an exciting, joyful time for our Kenzi’s Causes families and families all across the state of Colorado. This year, we had the opportunity to support one of our newer families – October, Chance, Mateo, Samara, and mother Jeara.
Meet October, Chance, Mateo & Samara
In March of 2020 – in the midst of the COVID-19 Pandemic – Jeara and her family were faced with a devastating decision: to stay in what they knew or to seek a better life by going to a domestic violence safe house.
Thankfully, they chose the latter and began rebuilding a better, safer life for their family.
In November 2020, Jeara and her children became a part of the Kenzi’s Causes family – participating in our events and benefiting from generous donations from people just like you.
When this summer rolled around, because of Kenzi’s Causes, Chance (13), Mateo (11), October (9), and Samara (6) finally got to just be kids. Between swimming, riding bikes, doing arts and crafts, watching movies, and playing video games – these three kids finally got to enjoy a fun summer.
And when back-to-school rolled around, they got to pick out brand new clothes and shoes, get fresh haircuts, and receive new backpacks for their school year – for the first time ever.
“Kenzi’s Causes have helped let my kids be kids and feel so special and important on holidays, birthdays, and in general. The kindness and generosity that my kids and I have received have helped lift us back up from a very dark life we all used to live.”
More Than Backpacks and School Supplies
It’s easy to hear a story like that, be touched, and immediately move on – but we’d like to challenge you to let the greatness of this story really sink in.
For a school-age kid, the feeling of having nice clothes and a new backpack on the first day of school is absolutely unparalleled. It’s a boost of joy and confidence, and it shows the child they’re cared for and they’re not alone.
For Jeara, the impact was even greater. She said one of the most incredible parts of Kenzi’s Causes is the way she and her family were treated. To sum it up, she said she experienced, “True kindness, concern, and just respect without judgment!”
We can all celebrate that.
Support Others Just Like Jeara and Her Sweet Family
“A single word can not describe what Kenzi’s is for me and my children,” said Jeara. “I am so grateful for everything!”
This is the outcome of offering support through Kenzi’s Causes, and the little pieces of Jeara’s family’s story we were able to share in this article only scratch the surface.
As we head into the rest of the school year, there are lots more opportunities to create joy and fun for our Kenzi’s Causes families and the families all across the state.
If you want to join us and support the families at Kenzi’s Causes, there are countless ways to get involved. You can click here to learn more about our opportunities to donate, serve, or volunteer. We would love to have you join our mission and serve our families this year.
