From Backpacks to Bigger Dreams

Young student smiling while holding a new backpack filled with school supplies provided through the Classroom Grandparent Program.

A backpack filled with school supplies may seem simple, but for many children, it represents encouragement, opportunity, and the excitement of a fresh start. Through the Classroom Grandparent Program, volunteers are helping students like Ezekiel feel supported, confident, and ready to learn. Along the way, Classroom Grandparents are also discovering renewed purpose and joy through the meaningful relationships they build with children in local classrooms.

Ezekiel cannot stop smiling! He just recieved a brand-new backpack from his Classroom Grandma! His mom shared that he could barely contain his excitement as he showed her all the fun supplies that were loaded in the backpack. Each school year our Classroom Grandparents help stuff and distribute backpacks full of educational resources to motivate learning for our Readers in Motions students, thanks to the Children's Board of Hillsborough County.

But those backpacks represent something even bigger. Through our Classroom Grandparent Program, seniors find renewed purpose while helping students build confidence and succeed in school.

It’s a win-win: children get one-on-one attention, support, and stability, while volunteers gain friendship, joy, and a deep sense of fulfillment from helping kids grow and thrive.

We already have 100 NEW Classroom Grandparents bringing joy and learning into local classrooms, but we urgently need 75 more to reach our goal for this school year. The kids are ready. The classrooms are waiting. And there’s a spot just for you.