Since March 16th, students in Charleston have been kept to their houses and learning virtually. This has been a seamless transition for many students in the Lowcountry, but not every student has been afforded such a luxury. Many students in our community have to travel to get Wifi or don't have the supports at home if they have a question or need words of encouragement. The obstacles that low-income students face are dramatically more significant than others in Charleston. They have part-time jobs, have parenting duties for their family members, oftentimes don't have a workspace that is conducive to productivity, and a myriad of other responsibilities on top of their schoolwork.

We aim to ensure that these students who face the greatest challenges are given the support and resources necessary to make this coming school year as equitable as possible. The average parent spends $117 per child on school supplies. This does not include additional costs like clothes, technology, multiple children, or child care before or after school. Although this $117 may not seem like much, it can be make or break for families - particularly in this difficult economic downturn. Before the coming school year, we are going to provide each student we work with a Back to School Bag with many of the essentials that we oftentimes see as obvious but others may view as out of reach.

Supplies like two-pocket folders, highlighters, sticky notes, planners, pencils, hand sanitizer, masks, composition notebooks, and headphones will all be included to ensure that students show up to school on the first day prepared - whether it be in-person or virtual.

Giving to Doors to Dream for this campaign is more than just supplying students with materials for the upcoming school year. It's the continued building of relationships between Doors to Dream staff and our group of students. We have delivered gift bags to our students' houses over the past four months - supporting them through this global pandemic and the difficulty that comes with virtual learning. These meetings have meant the world to students and us as they have been kept to their homes and away from friends and family for months and donating to this campaign will further deepen these relationships with students and inspiring them to attack this school year with vigor.

Giving to this campaign will not only help alleviate some of the immediate pressures that students in Charleston are feeling from all angles, but also propel them to overcome their circumstances to do good in the world. It is opening doors for students to learn essential skills and obtain the confidence that they can make a change - that they can leave their mark. It will promote student success, sure, but it will also promote the betterment of the Charleston community and help those who need us the most right now.