The Gift of Confidence Begins with a Backpack Local Volunteers Help Hundreds of Students Start Strong

The Gift of Confidence Begins

with a Backpack Local Volunteers

Help Hundreds of Students Start Strong

Sasha Bush

The Ashland Beacon

For most children, the first day of school is filled with anticipation, fresh notebooks, new friendships, and the excitement of a new beginning. For others, it's filled with worry. Will they have the right supplies? Will their shoes fit? Will they be the only child without a new backpack?

Those are the questions the Northeastern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce Young Professionals Association Backpack Program has been quietly answering for more than two decades—one child at a time.

Now under the leadership of Heather Moore, the program is making an even bigger impact than ever before.

Moore, who became chair of the Backpack Program in 2025, says serving the community through the annual initiative has become one of the most meaningful experiences of her life. Working alongside Family Resource Coordinators throughout Boyd and Greenup counties, she helps connect businesses, churches, civic organizations, families, and individuals with local students who need a helping hand before school begins.

Last year, that helping hand reached more than 400 children. This year, thanks to overwhelming community support, the goal has doubled.  More than 800 students are waiting for someone to say, "We've got you." "The first day of school should be filled with excitement—not worry," Moore said.

As an elementary school counselor, she sees firsthand how much confidence a child gains from something many families take for granted.

A new backpack.

Shoes that fit.

The right school supplies.

To many, they're simple purchases. To a struggling family, they can be overwhelming expenses. To a child, they can mean the difference between feeling left out and feeling like they belong.

"When students walk into their classroom prepared alongside their peers, they feel included, capable, and ready to learn," Moore explained.

The Backpack Program is about much more than buying supplies. It eases financial burdens on families, supports local Family Resource Centers, strengthens partnerships throughout the community, and sends a powerful message to every child who receives assistance:

You matter.

Someone believes in you.

Someone wants you to succeed.

Perhaps that's what makes the program so special. Every year, neighbors step forward to help children they've never met. Churches adopt students. Businesses rally employees. Friends pool their money together. Civic groups shop for backpacks, clothing, shoes, and classroom essentials.

Acts of generosity ripple through the community, often without recognition or fanfare.

For Moore, however, the most rewarding moment comes after the shopping is finished. It's the first day of school.

Working at Ponderosa Elementary, she gets to watch many of these students walk through the doors carrying the very backpacks the community helped provide. She sees their smiles, their confidence, and the pride on their faces as they unpack brand-new school supplies alongside their classmates.

"It's seeing the students on the first day of school," she said. "There's nothing quite like watching their excitement as they proudly wear their new clothes, carry their new backpack, and unpack their school supplies."

Just as meaningful, she says, is witnessing the kindness behind every donation.

"Seeing businesses, churches, families, and complete strangers choose to invest in a child they've never met is incredibly inspiring. The generosity, compassion, and teamwork behind this program remind me that there is still so much good in our community."

Helping is surprisingly simple. Individuals, families, churches, businesses, civic organizations, and even groups of friends can sponsor a child's wish list, typically costing between $100 and $150 to complete. Many sponsors split the cost, while others choose to make monetary donations that allow Young Professionals volunteers to shop on their behalf.

Every wish list fulfilled means one more child can walk into school prepared instead of anxious. It means that one more child feels included… One more child begins the year believing their community cares.

Anyone interested in sponsoring a student can contact Heather Moore at 606.923.6315 or Sydni Pierce at 606. 324.5111, through the Northeastern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce to receive a wish list card.  Backpacks should be returned to the Chamber office by August 1.

Sometimes changing a child's future doesn't require a grand gesture. Sometimes it starts with a backpack, a pair of shoes, a few notebooks—and an entire community choosing to remind a child they are seen, valued, and worthy of every opportunity.

After all, every child deserves to begin the school year feeling confident, prepared, and loved. Sometimes all it takes is one community coming together to make a child smile.