The Day I Cried Over a Backpack

Britley Little, our Volunteer and Community Outreach Coordinator, hosts various events throughout the year for our foster families. Read about our Back – To – School – Bash and how one back pack made her cry!

This week I cried over a Vera Bradley backpack. One of the events I plan each year is our Back-To-School Bash where volunteers fulfill our foster kids school supply lists! When I asked our foster parents what their child’s backpack preference would be, one response was “Vera Bradley for our 11 year old girl”. My heart sank. I knew the chances she would get it were slim because this brand can be expensive. It is a beautiful moment when our supporters and volunteers look beyond presumptions about foster care and seek to build dignity and value in the children we serve. So, whenever I saw this beautiful, Vera Bradley bag in the pile my heart sang, and so did hers! That day, I cried in my car. We’re not all called to foster, but we are all called to do something. It can be opening your home to fostering, volunteering at our monthly support groups, giving monthly as a donor, or helping with the tangible needs of our resource room. 

Thank you to everyone who donated school supplies and a big thanks to UMC Connect and Crossings Church for fulfilling 71 of our foster children’s backpacks! 

For more information about how you can get involved visit www.annashousefoundation.org