2005-2011: A Teacher’s Vision to Make a Difference, One Student at a Time

In 2005, a recent college graduate (we’ll call her Margaret) began her dream job—teaching kindergarten to an underserved population in an impoverished school. With a student population beset with all the problems commonly associated with poverty, she quickly realized that her training had not addressed the realities of teaching students who were struggling mightily outside the classroom. Margaret shared her concerns with her mother (we’ll call her Susan). Together, they decided that they would focus on providing one basic need—the lack of seasonally appropriate clothing for school. It was late September and Margaret had noticed that many of the children did not seem to have sweaters or jackets. What would they do when it got really cold?

Margaret and Susan purchased coats from store sales and thrift shops, and Margaret was able to send a coat home with each child in her class before the temperature dropped to below freezing. The next day, some of the coats were returned. It never occurred to some of these families that the coat was a gift for the child to keep. The school’s social worker prepared a note explaining that the coats were donations from the community. A copy of the note was then inserted into the pocket of each item.

Things quickly snowballed as others learned of their generosity. The following year, each Kindergarten-aged child in Margaret’s school was given a coat. By the third year, they were able to provide a coat for each child in the entire school. What started as a one-family ministry in a single classroom in a single school has now spread to our entire community. A simple “Note in the Pocket” can have an immeasurable impact on the life of a child when it conveys a powerful message—you are loved.