As families around Boston prepare their children to return to a new school year, many of our refugee and immigrant families are doing so as well. For some of our students, this will be the first “back to school” experience they’ve had in the United States. As parents know, this can be a stressful and exciting time of year. Students get to pick out new clothes, backpacks, supplies and lunchboxes, all in anticipation of the year to come. For our families, this can be a huge financial burden and they are often not able to provide their children with the essential (and extensive) school supply lists sent by teachers.
RIAC has been extremely fortunate this month in receiving donations from community members in order to assist our students and families in preparing for school. Joshua, who believes that every child should have access to an education, organized a supplies drive in his community. He delivered a donation of 30 backpacks, over 2,000 pencils, more than 100 notebooks, and various other supplies.
This week, many students came into our office to pick out their new backpack, filled with the supplies they would need for the upcoming year. Thank you Joshua, for helping these students start off their year fully prepared to learn, grow and make a difference in the future of our world!