A Caldwell student gets prepared for back to school with a new backpack
College Station, Texas –There’s nothing quite like a stylish new backpack and supplies to start the school year, but the cost of providing for a family of children at once can be overwhelming to parents.
“I have four children in school and any assistance I can receive helps me. It’s a blessing to have a program [SFBV] that cares about our children in the community and where parents can get valuable resources as they prepare for the upcoming school year,” said Cee Williams, a Navasota mother.
Strengthening Families of the Brazos Valley program covered five counties and traveled over 100 miles in three weeks to provide over 700 backpacks filled with supplies to Brazos Valley area families for its 4th annual “Back-to-School” event.
“It’s a way to give back to the community and let them know we are there and support them and their families. It’s also a great way for SFBV to work with other organizations to showcase what we do and by teaming up with them we are able to reach more people in the communities,” said, Laurie Naumann, SFBV Program Manager.
SFBV is a program within the Texas A&M Extension Service. The program provides free services to families in Brazos, Burleson, Grimes, Madison and Robertson Counties. They offer courses to individuals and couples 18+ in Parenting, Healthy Relationships and Financial Education also known as Money$ense.
For more information about the program and its services, visit families.tamu.edu.
A participant is all smiles after receiving her backpack at the Burleson County Back-to-School Blast.
College Station, Tx–It was a busy two weeks from August 6th-August 18th for the Strengthening Families of the Brazos Valley program. Staff members and volunteers traveled over 100 miles across four counties to deliver over 500 free backpacks for children of all ages throughout the Brazos Valley.
“It’s a great service for the community and it’s a way for us to give back to the people who support us and to let the communities know that we are here for them when they need us.” said, Laurie Naumann, SFBV Program Manager.
In addition to the backpacks, many counties offered health screenings, free school supplies and valuable resources for parents. Lisa Williams has three children in Navasota I.S.D. “I’ve been attending this event for at least four years now in Grimes County and so far this year’s back to school fair was the best one. There were so many vendors with valuable information for parents and students. And the free backpacks provided by SFBV was much appreciated. It’s great to have a program that cares about the community. It’s also a blessing in disguise for many parents who can’t afford to get their children a backpack and school supplies to start the new school year.” said, Williams.
SFBV is a program within the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and provide free services to families in Brazos, Burleson, Grimes, Madison and Robertson Counties. They offer courses to individuals and couples 18+ in Parenting and Financial Education also known as Money$ense. The program also offers a two-day marriage retreat known as Synergy to married, engaged or dating couples.
The program is funded by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Grant: #90FM0099. These services are available to all eligible persons, regardless of race, gender, age, disability or religion.
For more information about the program or Synergy, visit families.tamu.edu or email, sfbrazos@gmail.com.
Welcome to the Strengthening Families of the Brazos Valley Blog page. Soon we will be posting informational blogs that will help you think about healthy marriages, families, parenting, relationships and finances. To get started consider taking our Healthy Family Check Up Quiz.
