On average, families spend $850 a year on back to school items. For the families that we serve, those essentials are often inaccessible and unaffordable. After facing a year and a half of social, economic, and health-related hardships, back to school in 2021 brings mixed emotions. While families welcome any sort of return to normalcy, navigating this new world with COVID-19 has made the task much more difficult.
Across Heartland Alliance, we have stepped up to make sure children and parents have everything they need to succeed this school year. Thanks to decades of trust-building and strong partnerships, our teams have been able to help the people we serve achieve health and healing, economic opportunity, and the safety they need to start the year off right.
For our READI Chicago teammates, a partnership with Cradles to Crayons has helped equip children in the city’s south and west sides with back packs full of school supplies.
“Lots of our participants have families of their own, extended families, or are in situations where they are living with people who have children,” said Sharon from Center for New Horizons, a READI Chicago partner organization. “Anytime we can provide donated items like this, it helps more than just our participants. It helps the entire community.”
READI Chicago serves individuals most impacted by gun violence, and our work in the field shows us how much impact the right resources can have. Our partnership with Cradles to Crayons will help children be prepared for the year, help parents make ends meet, and help the people we serve know that the community has their back.
Strengthening those community bonds are a critical element of our work across all 
of our programing. At Heartland Alliance Health’s Englewood health center, a free back to school health clinic provided much-needed check ups and vaccinations in a community with little access to healthcare. At a time when COVID-19 is forcing healthcare deserts to go it alone, we’re ramping up our services and strengthening the neighborhood.
But we believe healthcare is more than just a doctor visit, and consider all determinants of health as we treat the community. To build trust and relationships with Englewood, our back to school clinic also provided critical resources for young people entering the new year – from including backpacks, supplies, books, and toys.
“We want this community to know that we’ll be here for them, whatever comes their 
way,” said Melissa Salgado Bellin, HAH Nurse Lead in Engelwood. “We’ve gotten through a year and a half of COVID together, and we’ll be here as we transition to whatever comes next.”
Heartland Alliance takes great pride in meeting the people we serve exactly where they are. This school year, we’re ready to stand beside them as our community’s children take the next steps into this brave new world. That’s what equity and opportunity for ALL really means.
