Back-to-school shopping can quickly become one of the biggest expenses of the year for families. For children at the Rancho Verde Village affordable housing community, Verve Community helped make that burden a little lighter.
For the third consecutive year, Verve Community partnered with Hope through Housing to provide more than 200 children from Rancho Verde Village with new pairs of shoes and backpacks filled with school supplies.
“The thing I’ll remember most is parents stopping us just to say thank you,” said Catherine Ewing-Moore, service coordinator at Rancho Verde Village. “You could see the relief on their faces knowing their children were leaving with new shoes, backpacks and everything they needed for the first day of school.”
Families lined up outside CHAMPS Sports in Victoria Gardens before the event began, eager to shop for the new school year. Each family was paired with a personal shopper from Verve Community who helped children find shoes that fit while making the experience fun and memorable.
Gracie, 14, smiled as she picked out a pair of bright white Nikes.
“This event gets me excited for school to start,” she said.
Elementary school students received $100 gift cards while middle and high school students received $120 gift cards, allowing many children to pick out multiple pairs of shoes.
Verve Community organized the event from start to finish, coordinating with CHAMPS Sports, providing volunteers and welcoming families with pastries and coffee before shopping began.
After choosing their shoes, each child selected a backpack filled with school supplies before heading home ready for the first day of school.
“This is a beautiful event that allows kids to have a wholesome experience, setting them up for a successful school year,” said Sandra Bowers, regional director of Hope through Housing. “It has become one of my favorite events because it creates lasting memories for the children.”
