Backpack Buddies, a program of the Baptist Hospitals and Health Systems (BHHS) Legacy Foundation, held one of its signature annual events at Phoenix College on July 21-23, providing thousands of students from low-income families across Maricopa County with essential school items and health check-ups their parents may not otherwise have been able to afford.
“We really believe in the mission of serving Title I students and foster care families, giving them a head start so they get to go to school, just like everybody else, with dignity and pride,” said Janette Lopez, Backpack Buddies program manager.
A “Title I” school is deemed such because it serves a high number, or high percentage, of children from low-income families. It also receives federal financial assistance through the Arizona Department of Education.
Backpack Buddies provides essential clothing, shoes, hygiene items and school supplies to children in Title I schools, foster care and military families across Maricopa County and beyond.
It also facilitates 10 Emergency Clothing Closets on school campuses across Maricopa County and leads programs such as the Legacy Library literacy initiative and Stitches of Love that provides hand-sewn clothing and accessories.
Backpack Buddies holds three signature events throughout the year. Two take place at Luke Air Force Base to serve military families.
The third, serving Title I schools and foster care families, used to take place at Grand Canyon University, but moved to Phoenix College two years ago.
Lopez oversees the entire program, including inventory ordering, working directly with school districts and foster care groups to register more than 2,000 kids and facilitating communication with other nonprofits involved in the event.
She is working with the Phoenix Symphony and Ballet Arizona to expand Backpack Buddies to include sensory items for children with disabilities and trips to see shows.
The first two and a half days of the July event were dedicated to Title I school districts.
Thursday afternoon was specifically for foster care students. Backpack Buddies works mainly with Arizona Friends of Foster Children Foundation and a few other organizations to register foster families.
The event is set up like a giant department store.
“The children arrive by bus, they get paired up with a personal shopper and they go through all the different departments,” Lopez said.
They get fitted for school uniforms and backpacks, they can choose books and activities at the learning zone and they get their vision and teeth checked by volunteers from Midwestern University’s College of Optometry and College of Dental Medicine.
Kids then pick out handmade clothing courtesy of the Stitches of Love program. Legacy Foundation purchases all the materials, and about 100 volunteers sew clothing throughout the year to be given away for free.
St. Mary’s Food Bank provides lunch.
“We don’t really allow the parents to come, we just want it to be fun for the kids,” Lopez said.
Most of the volunteers came from the National Charity League (NCL) and Boys Team Charity, but many other organizations sent their staff for a morning or afternoon shift, including the Center for Jewish Philanthropy of Greater Phoenix (CJP).
“Tikkun olam is so important and this is such a great opportunity to help all these kids get things that are necessities for school that their families probably can’t afford,” said Marcy Lewis, director of family and volunteer engagement at CJP. “We’re just doing our little bit of goodness in the world.”
Lewis previously volunteered for this event four years ago with her family when it was held at GCU.
“It’s been four years, and this day has stuck with me,” she said. “I coordinate CJP to be a volunteer organization and when I got the opportunity to take this role on, I knew that this was one of the first events I wanted to do because it’s so special.”
The event served 2,200 kids over three days from 120 schools in 32 Title I districts.
Since the event was held at Phoenix College this year, the professor who runs the 3D printing lab volunteered to run a booth where he printed 3D items for the kids.
On Tuesday, kids also got to interact with animals, including snakes, and on Wednesday, they got to try out virtual reality headsets.
“We want to expose these kids to the fact that education is a possibility,” Lopez said. “It’s something within their reach. We want to expose them to the campus, things that the college offers that they may not otherwise get to see, so they can know that going to college is a possibility; it’s not just a dream.”
For more information, visit bhhslegacy.org/backpack-buddies.