Local Nonprofits Partner to Collect 1,000 Backpacks for New School Year

More than 1,000 students in Reston and Herndon began a new school year last week with brand new backpacks thanks to local nonprofit Cornerstones and its partner Kids R First.

The backpacks were collected as part of Cornerstones’ 2015 Back to School Drive, and recipients included current Cornerstones clients as well as other local students who receive free or reduced-cost school meals.

Kids R First also helped provide new underwear for elementary-age children, and Payless and Hair Cuttery got in on the act in providing new shoes and free haircuts in preparation for last week’s First Day of School.

“Young children in particular who receive high quality early education care see tremendous dividends later in childhood and for the rest of their lives, including higher performance once they begin school, increased likelihood of attending college, higher lifetime earnings, and reduced likelihood of being involved in the justice system,” said Cornerstones CEO Kerrie Wilson. “Cornerstones works on behalf of the essential needs of our youngest clients through programs that provide resources and care to help our kids excel and feel a sense of normalcy and belonging.”

Cornertones describes itself as “a nonprofit organization that promotes self-sufficiency by providing support and advocacy for those in need of food, shelter, affordable housing, quality childcare, and other human services.” Kids R First shares a similar initiative, serving to benefit students from low-income families throughout the area.

Since its birth in 1970, Cornerstones has now served more than 250,000 local families in the last 35 years, and has already begun planning for its annual Thanksgiving food drive, to begin later this fall.

For more information about Cornerstones, including how to volunteer, advocate and donate, visit here or call 571-323-9568.

Image credit: Cornerstones