
On June 16th, Kids’ Club hosted our tenth “Breakfast for Bedding” to collect gift cards and new dorm room bedding in support of nearly 40 under-resourced Sleepy Hollow High School seniors who will be attending college in the fall. Most of these students participated in college prep programs (such as TUFSD’s “Application Ready!” program and Latino U College Access’ FAFSA Information Session and Boot Camp) which were funded in part by Kids’ Club. Many of the students are the first in their families to attend college.
We were delighted to welcome some of the students to the event, where they spoke with guests about their plans for the future and also about how a variety of Kids’ Club-supported programs helped them achieve their academic and personal goals. Those programs included ones that gave basic needs supports (e.g., food and clothing), to enriching after school arts programs and summer camps that kept the students busy and safe when their parents were working outside the home, academic programs that helped foster confidence in their abilities and helped them believe in their futures, and practical technological and college prep supports that helped even the playing field as these students competed for college acceptances against others whose families had more familiarity with the application process.
Kids’ Club President, Jennifer Green, shared, “To say that Kids’ Club donors have touched the lives of this year’s graduating class of SHHS seniors would be an understatement! When Kids’ Club launched in June 2009, the Class of 2023 had not even begun formal schooling yet, but many of the students already were benefiting from Kids’ Club supported programs, and that access to opportunity will have continued up until their high school graduation on June 22. Because of the generosity of our donors, Kids’ Club has been able to help enrich, encourage and educate these students for 14 years, and we are so excited to see what they will achieve next!”
Thirty plus guests in total attended, with many more sending in their gifts online. A combined total of more than 175 bedding items and gift cards were collected. The SHHS Guidance Department will distribute the gifts to the students this week.
Kids’ Club is grateful to all who came to the event or contributed to the supply drive, as well as to the volunteers who provided all of the delicious breakfast fare.