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Phoenix Family celebrates back to school
Phoenix Family Housing kicked off the end of summer throughout Kansas City, Columbia, and St. Louis
with several Back-to-School Events. "There’s something very exciting about the first day of
school —for both kids and their parents," says Kimber Myers Givner, Executive Director of
Phoenix Family. "Our Back-to-School events celebrate and encourage that
excitement."
With the help of local companies, organizations and individuals, Back-to-School events supplied backpacks and school supplies to more than 2,000 kids who, without help, would not have had the school supplies they needed
Every year, the need for school supplies continues to grow. This increase is partly due to a growing trend of schools and teachers asking parents to share the financial burden of providing classroom supplies to the schools. "Throughout the Kansas City area, parents are being asked to spend more on school supplies every year," says Myers Givner. "When they are struggling to put food on the table — like many of our families are — the $50 needed to purchase a backpack and school supplies for each child is a real financial burden."
Jamie Spinello, an on-site service coordinator at Friendship Village in Kansas City, says both the kids and the parents look forward to the events every year. "For parents, having Phoenix Family supply their kids with most if not all of their school supplies means that they don’t have to worry about choosing between their utility bill or their children’s school supplies."
For many of the kids, the Back-to-School Events are bittersweet since they mark the ending of Phoenix Family’s Summer Programs. "But, then," Spinello laughs, "I see them open their new backpack. They look at all of the new supplies the same way they would look at a birthday present — their faces just light up."