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Writer's pictureKathy's Angels Foundation

Nonprofit helps Las Vegas foster kids prepare for school

by Khalia Patterson, KSNV 3 NEWS

Sun, July 30th 2023, 6:47 PM PDT






LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — School starts in just one week, so families are running through the stores for that special first-day-


of-school outfit.

But for those in foster care, one organization is making sure these kids go to school with brand-new clothes too.


Kathy's Angels Foundation is helping prepare these kids for the new school year with a $500 shopping spree.


"Four and $500 is a lot. It's a lot for us. So I can only imagine how they feel," Dashun Jackson, the foster care program director, said.


An experience these children get to have for back-to-school.


"They've never had that much to spend. And so being able to do this is a shopping spree to them. This is something that is a fairytale for a lot of them," Jackson said.


The Kathy's Angel Foundation is spending $15,000 on clothes for abused or foster kids in care with the St. Jude's Ranch for Children.


"When the children have new clothes, and especially things that represent their interests and what they like, confidence is boosted, and the morale is boosted. And it really helps them better perform in school," Erik Beehn, a Kathy's Angles Foundation board member, said.

Organizers say while they shopped, volunteers taught kids how to choose their size and the best clothing options.



"This is a very new experience for them to be able to shop to be able to pick their own clothes. So it's also a learning experience to try and prepare them on how to shop efficiently," Beehn said.


A volunteer says the child he shopped with was shy and didn't really want to spend the money gifted to him.


"I felt like he didn't want to spend the money. Like, you know, so I was trying to reiterate the get what you want. It says this is on the house here," Mike, a Kathy's Angles Foundation volunteer, said. "He liked Marvel hero stuff. So we got him some Marvel shirts, and then we eventually got him some nice shoes."


But besides the clothes, St. Jude's program director says actions like this show the children how a community can show support and care, especially on a big day like the first day of school.


"There is people that want to see them succeed and see them successful. Whereas some kids may not have clothes on the first day of school, these kids will walk in just like everyone else," Jackson said.




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