On August 25, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Rochester welcomed Club families and community members for the Dr. Bettina Love Backpack Giveaway, helping local youth head into the new school year prepared and excited to learn.
Thanks to an incredible outpouring of support from our community, 415 backpacks filled with school supplies were distributed to children and teens throughout the afternoon.
The event was about more than backpacks and school supplies. It was also an opportunity to bring our Club community together and show young people how many people are invested in their success. Dr. Bettina Love personally greeted and spent time with every child and family who attended, making the experience even more special for those receiving backpacks.
Dr. Love also took time during the event to read with our Club members, sharing a moment centered on one of the most important tools for a successful school year — a love of reading and learning.
We are incredibly grateful to Dr. Love for her continued commitment to Rochester’s young people and for spending the afternoon connecting with our members and families.
A Community Effort
An event of this size would not be possible without the generosity of partners and individuals who stepped up to support our Club kids.
A special thank you to News 10 WHEC, which selected the Club as the recipient of its Big Give initiative and hosted a community backpack and school supply drive; the Great NYS Flea Market, which hosted a backpack and school supply drive; Harris Beach Murtha, which generously donated backpacks filled with supplies; and Carter’s, which donated backpacks and school supplies to help make the giveaway a success.
We also want to recognize the many individual donors who purchased supplies, donated backpacks or made financial contributions. Every notebook, pencil, backpack and donation helped us reach more young people and families.
Ready for a New School Year
Seeing hundreds of children leave the Club with new backpacks was a powerful reminder of what can happen when our community comes together to support kids.
To everyone who donated, collected supplies, volunteered, shared information about the giveaway or supported the event in any way: thank you for helping make the Dr. Bettina Love Backpack Giveaway a tremendous success.
With 415 backpacks now in the hands of local youth, hundreds of kids are heading into the new school year prepared for the classroom and knowing their community is behind them.
Together We Build. Our Kids. Our Club. Our Future.
