Gearing up for Success

September 20, 2017

Summertime came and went. While the weeks leading up to the first day school were filled excitement, they were also filled with last minute shopping and preparation for the new school year. This time of year can be a financial burden for our families with school age children at the Lenniger and Sydelle supportive housing residences. But thanks to the generosity of Henry and Sydelle Ostberg, we were able to provide all of our students with school supplies to help better prepare them for a successful school year!

The two residences are home to over 70 children, 40 of which are entering elementary school, 8 middle school and 14 high school. Thanks to the Ostbergs’ generosity, each student received a backpack filled with school supplies, a lunch box and a $50 Target gift card to purchase any thing else they may need for the school year.

Families filtered into the lobbies of the residences the evening before the first day of school to select from the wide variety of backpacks, which were sorted by age group. The younger children ‘oohed’ and ‘aahed’ over colorful backpacks decorated with familiar characters from Star Wars, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Despicable Me, while the older children chose backpacks with solid colors and simple designs.

As the children left the room beaming with their full backpacks and lunchboxes in hand, they were surprised to find that they were also receiving a $50 Target gift card. Parents emphasized how helpful the gift cards were in covering additional expenses, such as uniforms and books. “We appreciate this so much, this makes such a difference,” added one of the parents.

In total, 744 pencils, 316 assorted notebooks, 62 rulers, 22 calculators, 14 dictionaries, 14 flash drives and 8 water bottles were distributed that night, in addition to the backpacks, lunchboxes and numerous boxes of markers, scissors, and colored pencils!

We’re incredibly grateful for Henry and Sydelle Ostberg’s generosity and look forward to seeing what the new school year has to hold for the children at the Sydelle and Lenniger supportive housing residences!