Hill Country Family Services Executive Director Bryce Boddie and Kendall Elementary School teachers collaborated last week to create care baskets for Ingram and Hunt elementary school teachers – a gesture to uplift the teacher’s spirits as they enter a new school year after the devasting floods. All 58 baskets were filled with all sorts of teachers’ goods: gel pens, expo markers, fidgets, snacks and the book “After the Fall (How Humpty Dumpty Got Back Up Again).”
“It’s a book we use as therapists for exact moments like what they are experiencing right now,” Boddie said.
The impact of the floods continues to affect the schools, evident by HCFS having to reschedule delivery of baskets to Hunt Elementary, as staff attended funerals for two children who lost their lives in the July 4 Guadalupe River flash flood. Boddie, who comes from a line of educators, wanted to make sure the teachers at Hunt and Ingram elementaries knew that support was still there for them.
“There was a lot of help in the beginning (of the floods),” Boddie said, “but now it’s almost all gone. We (Hill Country Family Services) don’t usually go out of Kendall County, but these teachers are about to answer a lot of hard questions to these kids coming back. We just want to be a part of supporting them for that.”
The care basket idea came from the influx of requests from volunteers who were eager to do something but were unsure where to start.
Through his wife, who is a librarian in Boerne, Boddie learned that many teachers were discussing the emotional struggles of coming back for a new year.
“So, we purchased baskets and gave the volunteers an opportunity to impact a person’s life directly,” Boddie said.
Boddie is also grateful for big name corporations like Frost Bank, who volunteered to be a part of the distribution. But, closer to home, Boddie was excited when Kendall Elementary School Principal Jennifer Escamilla called to let him know there were 35 teachers ready to assist in preparing the baskets.
“We have one more school in Center Point to deliver to,” Boddie said. “If anyone wants to volunteer their time to deliver some baskets, we’re more than happy to help them to do that.”
If you wish to volunteer, visit: https://hcfstx. org/volunteer/ Hill Country Family Services also welcomes donations directly tied to this project.
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