The School Season is Ending, Which Means Another Soon Begins

Across the country, schools are starting to look at closing their doors for the summer ahead. But for Heightened Hearts, the end of the school year means that another deadline is looming – back to school season. For children across the country and the world, a new school year means another chance – a chance at an education, a chance to build new relationships, and a chance to increase their likelihood that they can move past the situation they currently live in.In our work, we’ve seen what the children we help go through. From living in homes without basic utilities, to not knowing where their next meal will come from, these children face hurdles many of us cannot begin to imagine the scope of. But for them, we see one underlying truth, a thread that connects them and inspires us: Hope. All of the children we’ve worked with, no matter their circumstances, shine with a hope of a better tomorrow, of a tomorrow that will allow them to spread their wings and make their mark on the world.

But in order for this to be successful, in order for the youth of today to become the change this world needs in the future, we must equip them with the tools needed to get out and make their mark. At Heightened Hearts, we focus on helping families with basic needs, but we also place a special emphasis on helping youth with the supplies needed to receive an adequate education. Knowledge empowers, and all we wish is that every child has the opportunity to bloom with the solid backing of education and information underneath them.

While many youth in our own country are capable of attending school with little or no resources, this is simply not the case in other parts of the world. In many countries where we help families, youth must pay to attend school, leaving education out of reach for those who need it most. And all over the world, including here, in our own country, youth are still expected to attend school with the basic provisions to participate – paper, pencils, backpacks. These items may not seem like luxuries, but for a family in need, paying for these items may mean making a decision whether or not to put food on the table for a day. When hunger is the other option, school supplies aren’t a priority.

So, although it’s the beginning of the summer, we are starting our back to school efforts now. We encourage all of our supporters to start thinking about what they could give, what they could help a child with, before the school season starts. In the coming months, we will be ramping up our fundraising efforts, giving us time to purchase and deliver these needed supplies to families in the United States and at our relief sites across the globe. With your support, we can make a difference in the lives of those in need. We can create a brighter future for a child with the wish to attend school. Together, we can be the change that these families so desperately need.