Building Brighter Futures, One Backpack at a Time

VOICES FOR CHILDREN BOARD MEMBERS AND STAFF: JAY AND CHRISTINE FRITZ, ANGEL AND LYNETTE FERRER, MAGALI SANDERS, JACK MAGUIRE, KADIE BLACK, CARLOS LAMOURTTE, NAÏVE AND DAVID BARBEITO

For nearly 15 years, back-to-school season has meant something special at Voices For Children Foundation. What began in 2011 as an effort to help children in Miami-Dade’s foster care system start the school year prepared has grown into one of our most anticipated annual traditions.

This year, our Building Brighter Futures Back-to-School initiative supported nearly 300 children and youth experiencing foster care. At our annual shopping event, young people had the opportunity to pick out new school uniforms and receive backpacks filled with school supplies and a gift card for shoes, giving them the chance to walk into the classroom feeling prepared, confident, and excited for the year ahead. Caregivers also received gas and food cards, helping ease other everyday expenses for the families supporting these children.

But perhaps the most special part of the event is the community behind it. In the weeks leading up to the big day, volunteers packed 300 backpacks, donors purchased items from our Amazon Wishlist, local organizations hosted collection drives, and sponsors and community partners provided the resources needed to bring it all together. Then, on event day, volunteers, Board members, community leaders, and partners showed up to make sure every child felt welcomed and celebrated.

Even the shopping experience became a celebration. Old Navy at the Shoppes at Dadeland closed its location for the private event, giving children and their caregivers a shopping experience created just for them. Music, special guests (including Miami Heat mascot, Burnie, and some superheroes), volunteers, and plenty of fun transformed a routine back-to-school errand into a night filled with energy and joy.

Since 2011, the details may have grown, but the heart of the initiative remains the same: making sure children experiencing foster care know their community is behind them.

A new backpack or first-day outfit may seem like a small thing. But for a child preparing to walk into a new classroom, that fresh start can mean confidence, dignity, and the feeling that they belong.

And year after year, our community continues to show up to make that possible.