Rainbow Days Back-to-School Celebration!

Back-to-School Celebration

Tuesday, August 17

1:00 - 4:00 PM

Dallas Market Center in North Hall

On Tuesday, August 17, Rainbow Days will host its 19th Annual Back-to-School Celebration, a fun event to help Dallas-area children living in homeless, domestic violence and transitional shelters kick off the school year with new backpacks filled with the necessary school supplies.

Rainbow Days, in partnership with Captain Hope’s Kids and the Dallas Market Center, will conduct the carnival-like event for over 400 children and family members from 23 local homeless, transitional or domestic violence living shelters and is expanding this year to include Collin County’s Samaritan Inn.

The children will enjoy entertainment, games and refreshments while receiving new school uniforms and new backpacks filled with school supplies – all to help give them a fresh start for the new school year.

How can you help?

Make a financial donation to Rainbow Days, Inc. with BTS in the memo line.

There are several other ways you can volunteer.

The Back-to-School Party is just one component of Family Connection, Rainbow Days’ award-winning program that offers a wide array of comprehensive services for Dallas’ homeless children and their families. Over 1,000 homeless children participate in the Family Connection program throughout the year. Through the program, children are given the confidence and life skills needed to make healthy choices, overcome adversity and stay drug-free.

“Every child should be given a reason to be excited about going back to school,” said Cathey Brown, Founder and CEO of Rainbow Days. “It’s not just the backpacks or the supplies that they receive, it’s the sense of purpose and self-esteem that we’re striving to build. We are truly grateful to our generous corporate, community and individual supporters who will make this event another success for over 400 homeless children this year.”

For over 28 years, Rainbow Days, Inc. (a United Way agency) has inspired children to live a life filled with hope and promise. To date, Rainbow Days has impacted more than 105,000 children in the Dallas Metroplex and trained more than 30,000 professionals in one of their award-winning curricula.

The Back-to-School Party is closed to the public, but is open to media.

Contact: Kelly Wierzbinski 214.887.0726 (o) / 214-850-7927 (c)/ kellyw@rdikids.org

The Limelight: Project Night Night

Established in 2005 by Kendra Stitt Robins, Project Night Night is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that began with the belief that every child deserves a good night’s sleep. Ms. Robins, a former attorney and mother of one, founded the organization after working through the bedtime trials of her two-year-old son. She realized how critical a good night’s rest is for the healthy development of children and became concerned for the many thousands of children living in shelters who lack the basic bedtime comforts. She began an effort to collect security blankets, books and stuffed animals for these sheltered children to help ease their bedtime anxieties while in a new and unfamiliar place. Her giving spirit has grown into an organization that works with shelters across the country, providing the few, easy, yet important elements that are critical to a child’s restful sleep.

Project Night Night donates over 25,000 “Night Night Packages” each year, free of charge, to homeless children who need those childhood essentials to feel secure, cozy, and significant. Each Night Night Package contains a new security blanket, an age-appropriate children's book, and a stuffed animal -- all nestled in a new canvas tote bag. By providing objects of reliable comfort, Project Night Night reduces trauma and advances the emotional and cognitive well-being of the children they serve.

The organization serves local DFW shelters, such as Dallas Life Foundation, Family Gateway, Genesis Women’s Shelter, and Samaritan Inn.

With your donation of only $20, a Night Night Package is delivered to a homeless child in your honor.
Every child who receives a Night Night Package leaves the shelter owning a book which encourages reading and family bonding, a security blanket which can be cuddled, and a stuffed animal which can become a cherished friend.

Click here for more information and a list of needed items.