The anticipation of the children nearly burst at the seams as they waited in line with their parents to get their brand new bookbags filled with school supplies. The excitement and sheer gratitude shown on their faces as they entered the gym and finally got their first peek at the bookbags set the tone for an unforgettable experience.“Mommy, look! It even has my name on it, does that mean I’m special?” Asked one child as a United Way volunteer handed her a brand-new princess themed bookbag.
40 percent of families in Connecticut fall under the ALICE® (Asset-Limited, Income-Constrained, Employed) threshold and can’t afford basic necessities such as housing, childcare, food, and transportation. When the impending dawn of the school year comes back around, these hard-working parents often struggle to get their children the supplies they need for a successful start to their school year.
Generous donors from all around Western Connecticut dedicated their time to ensuring that every child in United Way of Western Connecticut’s Back-To-School program are prepared for the upcoming school year and ready to learn.
Because of you, the Back-To-School program was able to provide more than 721 children with bookbags brimming with school supplies in the Danbury, Greater New Milford, and Stamford communities.
United Way mobilizes resources and develop programs that uplift the hard-working, struggling families in our community by helping them stretch their hard-earned dollars.
We fight for the health, education and financial stability of our communities and our children. We win by working diligently with our donors, sponsors and volunteers to cultivate lasting change.
This year, our Back-To-School program was yet another success because of all of you. Thank you!
We fight. We win. We #LiveUnited.
To take a trip down memory lane and view pictures from Back-to-School, click here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/uwwesternct/albums