North Center Revitalization Assoc. (NCRA)

Neighborhood Services staff donate backpacks to group homes

Neighborhood Services staff donate backpacks to group homes

For Immediate Release
Contact: Heather Gray
Acting Public Information & Communications Director
480.644.3332

Neighborhood Services staff donate backpacks to group homes

The days are getting shorter. Commercials and ads for back-to-school sales are everywhere. This means that teenagers all across Mesa are preparing to go off to school. But staff in one City of Mesa department knew that the ringing of the bell would not signal joyous preparation for every student. Neighborhood Services were aware that some teenage girls did not have the proper school supplies for the coming year, so they answered the call of that ringing bell.

The staff took nineteen backpacks filled with school supplies to the girls at A&A Cottages to outfit them for their first day of school. Jane Albin, Management Assistant in the Community Revitalization Division, who spearheaded the effort, said, "We were just as excited to buy these supplies as the girls were to receive them. The staff of A&A Cottages assured us that with 18 girls in the houses everything would be used, right down to the last piece of paper."

The girls are between the ages of 12 and 18 years old and live in one of several group homes in Mesa. Kee Hudgens, staff member at A&A Cottages told Jane Albin when the backpacks were delivered, "The girls of A&A Cottages will go back to school with their heads held high, thanks to City of Mesa Neighborhood Services and Community Revitalization. ...this generous group at the city gave the girls all the tools they needed for a great start to the school year."

A&A Cottages provides homes for teenage girls who have been abused, neglected or who come from troubled backgrounds. A&A Cottages was formed in 1996 to address the increasing need for foster care group homes for teenage youth in Arizona. Its mission is to make a positive difference in the lives of at-risk youth through quality residential and support services that promote dignity, integrity and responsibility.

For accompanying photos of city staff and A&A staff with the backpacks, please call Katie Brown at 480.644.3705.