Back to School: When $100 becomes $450
Kids Matter International

Next Door to Poverty

For many of us, fall means back-to-school season — new crayons, notebooks, maybe a coat in the next size up. For thousands of children in Grapevine, Texas, that experience is out of reach. Kids Matter International exists to change that and the grant from RetailROI is a huge part of expanding their reach as every $100 has an impact of $350-$400.

"We are in such an affluent area that people don't realize how many children in Grapevine are living on less than $25,000 a year in Section 8 housing with single parents working two jobs," says Taylor Sandlin, Director of Programs. "We recently learned that over three thousand children in the Grapevine/Colleyville School District are on reduced lunches."

"We usually have 1,500-1,800 children participate in Around the Block each year across Southlake, Arlington, and Austin. This year, we're challenging ourselves to double our impact and serve 1,000 kids at the Southlake event alone.”

Held each fall, Around the Block invites families to shop for back-to-school clothes at a local Kohl's at no cost. Thanks to partners like you, a Saturday morning finds lines of excited kids growing outside the door with an atmosphere charged with joy and anticipation.

Inside, a seven-year-old girl beckons you closer: "I just want to thank you so much. My mom was going to have to decide whether to get coats for us or for her this year." When you tell her she's amazing, she giggles and skips away: "That's my name! Amazing." Nearby, a young man helping kids find shoes is a past Around the Block recipient and now a valued Kohl's employee.

Around the Block is just one event in what Executive Director Bryan Chambers sees as an exciting future. “Kids Matter exists to empower children living in poverty to help move them forward.” Bryan explains. “We’ve provided self-care gift bags for mothers, hosted school literacy events, and educated the community about child poverty. I feel like our primary responsibility as citizens is to make our communities flourish. We all have a finite number of resources and a finite amount of time so how do we serve our neighbor in a way that dignifies these families, that shows we believe in them and their inherent worth?”

Bryan explains, “Recently that looked like partnering in a free AYSO (American Youth Soccer Organization) clinic. Kids long to belong to something so when AYSO wanted to host a local clinic, we used our contacts to invite kids to participate. We didn’t have the soccer expertise or direct connection to the families, but we were able to bring the two together. When we serve as a conduit and each do our part, the impact is exponentially greater. We’re so grateful for the ongoing support of RetailROI and its donors.”

NEXT STEPS

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