[FORT WAYNE, IN] – July 30, 2020 – Partnering with local churches and sponsors, Lifeline Youth & Family Services has collected hundreds of school supply-filled backpacks for the children at Brookmill Court Apartments, a low-income housing community in Fort Wayne. This apartment complex is home to Lifeline’s Project Incentive and the Building Blocks Preschool, a free-of-charge preschool aimed at providing children the tools to make healthy choices and discover good learning habits in an effort to break the cycle of poverty that is so prevalent in this community. 

For more than 20 years, Lifeline has distributed these backpacks at their annual Backpack Roundup event. This year’s event takes place at Brookmill Court Apartments on Thursday, July 30th, at 4 p.m for the pre-selected recipients in and surrounding the Brookmill neighborhood. 

This year, in addition to the backpacks, families will receive non-perishable food, games, toothbrushes, and cloth face coverings. 

While families face added stresses and decisions between in-person and online school, struggling parents know they need to prepare their children for school now more than ever before. The National Retail Foundation found in a recent study that families predict spending more this year on school supplies to account for additional needs for virtual schooling. 

The study also found that American families will spend an average of $131 on school supplies for students K-12 this upcoming school year. This number is unattainable for many local families, which is why events like Backpack Roundup are so impactful. “We’re so thrilled to have the opportunity to once again provide school supplies and other necessary items for families,” says Bernice Bush, Project Incentive Director. “Thanks to the generosity of hundreds of donors and volunteers, this event will be another successful kickoff to the school year while providing this community with information from local service organizations.” 

Lifeline Youth and Family Services would like to thank Northwest Bank, US Savings Bank, New Covenant Worship Center, Heaven 2 Earth Baptist Church, The Chapel, Fellowship Missionary Church, A Spoonful of Sugar, and Fort Wayne Housing Authority for their generous partnerships. 

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About Lifeline Youth & Family Services: Lifeline Youth & Family Services, Inc. was founded in 1968 when a small group of business leaders felt compelled to do something to help kids in trouble who desperately needed a safe and loving home. Now 50 years later, Lifeline brings hope to youth and families who have become involved in the legal system through in-home therapy and counseling, preventative education, and residential care. 

About Project Incentive: Lifeline’s Project Incentive serves children and families who are living in Brookmill Court Apartments, a low-income housing community in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The children in this community are at risk for lower educational achievement, participation in delinquent or risk-related activities, and growing up to live in poverty as adults. Project Incentive’s goal is to intervene early, preventing such things from occurring as they grow older. By giving them a consistent, quality education, preschool-aged children are equipped with strong social skills, the tools to make healthy choices, and good learning habits in an effort to break the cycle of poverty that is so prevalent in this community. Learn more at lifelineyouth.org.