Book Fairy Program
Do you remember shopping at the school book fair? Do you remember that sense of excitement and joy that came with purchasing a book of your very own?
Unfortunately, not every student is able to share that experience. At The Caring Link, we are dedicated to establishing a sense of equity among students. Thus, in addition to providing essential resources through our Care Closets, we also fund gift certificates for underprivileged students to use at their school book fairs, presented by the Book Fair Fairy. These gifts give students who would otherwise be unable to participate a chance to experience the same excitement that their classmates enjoy as well as grow their home libraries and love of reading.
Care to Join
Our Care to Join program supports underprivileged students who seek to participate in school-based extracurriculars and educational activities. When these activities have certain cost requirements, some students cannot afford to take part. These experiences can include something as simple as going on a field trip with their classmates to playing a sport to attending an educational conference or leadership event. We want to ensure that students can experience educational enrichment and connect with their peers regardless of their household incomes.
Class Medical Kits
Our goal is to keep children learning in their classrooms without missing valuable instruction time. To further this goal, we assemble and distribute classroom medical kits to all of our partner schools. These kits allow teachers to address minor first aid issues without overwhelming the nurses’ stations or sacrificing valuable lesson time. These kits include items like ice packs, bandaids, vaseline, medical gauze/tape, emesis bags, and other resources that teachers can use to quickly return a student to a ready-to-learn mindset.
Class Snack Bins
It’s hard to focus when you’re hungry. Some classrooms have snack times built into their schedules because younger students and those who have earlier or later lunch times need a pick-me-up at certain points in the day. However, not every student can afford to bring a snack to fuel their brains and keep their attention on track. Our classroom snack bins allow these students to recharge with their peers and finish the learning day strong.
Pop-Up HOCO/ Prom Shops
We believe that every student should have a chance to attend their high school homecoming and prom. However, some students miss these memorable milestones because they cannot afford formalwear. Our Pop-Up HOCO and Prom Shops serve as resources for students to receive free formalwear in which they feel confident and ready to dance the night away alongside their friends.
We are happy to accept formalwear donations, including dresses of various lengths and styles, suits, ties, and shoes for both young men and women. These items can either be new or used in good condition. Please contact us at [email protected] if you would like to donate or help.
PACE Academy Uniforms
Statistically, children in poverty are 3x more likely to struggle with behavioral problems in school. This means that many of the students attending the Madison County Alternative School known as PACE Academy are resource insecure. In its more controlled approach to education, PACE requires students to wear a uniform of khaki pants and black shirts. However, not every attendee’s family can afford this apparel. To help, we stock khaki pants and black shirts in all sizes at our Catch-All Closet, which is on the same campus as the PACE Academy. We want to ensure that, as students work to improve their behavior and classroom outcomes, they don’t face the additional obstacle of uniform violations based on low income.
Halloween BOO-tique
Whether they want to dress up as Spiderman, a princess, or a scary monster, children love finding their perfect Trick-or-Treat costume. Our Halloween BOO-tique provides a way for all kids, regardless of budget, to find a costume that makes the holiday fun and inclusive. By offering both new and used-in-good-condition costumes, the BOO-tique allows students to experience the joy of being a kid while removing an extra burden from families in need.
If you have a costume to donate (all sizes accepted), please contact us at [email protected].
