Boxes of Backpacks Project Update

Just in case you're wondering, "Hey, whatever happened with those backpacks you sent out?" I thought I'd share a couple of update highlights with you.

One district followed up with a highly gracious thank you email with assurances the backpacks will go to families in need. Not only that, the office staff was so charmed, they've decided to fill them with school supplies so those kids will want for nothing come September! Talk about paying it forward! Love that.

Also, as you may remember, we included a SASE with each backpack that encouraged the recipient to drop us a line and let us know how school is going. Much to our surprise, we got one back! Justin's note was touching and reminds us why our commitment to kids is so strong -- giving hope and helping students overcome their problems is what it is all about.

So, we're writing back to Justin, and this is what we will say:

Dear Justin,

Thank you so much for the note all the way from Wyoming! We live in Portland, Oregon. Do you know where that is on a map? We are all so glad you received one of our backpacks and really like it. It's very cool that you like school! And we're proud of you for working on your speech. We're sure you have an excellent speech pathologist to help. Remember, you really can do anything. We believe in you.

All the best,

Sharon and the Hello Team

That last part is the most important part. We believe in Justin, and we believe in all kids. It's why we do what we do, and why we love what we do.