Backpack - The best start to the school year - Hsbc now

I joined Volunteers of America about 11 years ago and I inherited this small, back-to-school drive, where staff were just digging into their own pockets. I vowed that the next year I'd create something else. It would be very targeted to make sure all children in shelter would get backpacks. 10 years later, we outfitted 13,500 children in every shelter in New York City with backpacks. I got a new one! Last year I decided to see if we could raise more money. So I actually wrote a letter to 100 banks and other financial institutions in the City. I heard from just one company, and that was HSBC. You raised the bar. You brought us to a whole new level. That's awesome. HSBC has a commitment to education. It's a key philanthropic focus area. This really fit the bill on all accounts. Children who have gone through so much. They're in foster care and sometimes switching homes five, six times. They want to assimilate, want to be like everybody else. While this may seem simple, a backpack filled with supplies, it can make a huge difference in their confidence, their ability to attend school and fit in with everybody else. Just a couple of years ago, I met a young boy who was 15 years old then. He was in one of our shelters. I asked him if he'd got a backpack from us. He started glowing, his eyes lit up and he said, "Yes! I had so many cool things. Things other kids don't have." I was allowed to choose any book bag I wanted, so I chose the nicest book bag and I was pretty happy. I felt all right. I felt ready for school. Elmo! I have twins that are seven, a boy and a girl, so this is near and dear to me, helping little kids out. The children living in shelter have very chaotic lives, typically, and very often they don't get anything new. No child should have to worry about whether they're going to school with supplies or not. But as long as they do, we're here to fill that need. Crayons, colouring pencils, pencil cases. Everything! I got a binder. I got two pads of paper. I have a dictionary. A Texas Instrument. Look!