As another school year approaches, our office recently had the privilege of hosting a school supply drive for Compassion Connection. Thanks to the generosity of our clients and friends, we were able to collect backpacks, notebooks, crayons, markers, and other essentials that will help children start the school year with confidence.
People sometimes ask why this organization is important to me. If I'm honest, I don't know that there was one defining moment.
Maybe it was the years I spent serving with elementary-aged children at church, where one little girl's prayer each week wasn't for a new toy or a good grade. She simply prayed that either her parents would show up for court or that the judge would allow her foster mom to adopt her.
Maybe it was walking alongside a young woman who had aged out of the foster care system and seeing firsthand how difficult it can be to build trust after a lifetime of uncertainty.
Or maybe it goes back to when our own children were little. Before I became a financial advisor, I spent most of my time at home with them, and Josh and I seriously considered becoming foster parents ourselves.
Whatever the reason, one belief has stayed with me: every child deserves to experience the love, security, and stability of a family. Sometimes that's the family they were born into. Sometimes it's the family that chooses to step in, through foster care or adoption.
That's why I've been proud to support Compassion Connection for many years through school supply drives, volunteer hours, and financial gifts. Their mission is simple but powerful: to provide encouragement, essential items, and practical support to foster, adoptive, and kinship families throughout Central Minnesota so they don't have to walk this journey alone.
And if you wanted to contribute but weren't able to make it to our office, there's still an opportunity to help. Compassion Connection maintains an Amazon Wish List filled with items they need most. Every purchase, no matter the size, provides practical support and reminds these families that their community is standing beside them. You can find their wish list here: Compassion Connection Amazon Wish List.
Sometimes changing a child's life starts with something as simple as a backpack, a package of crayons, or simply knowing someone cares enough to help.
To everyone who donated school supplies or supported this effort—thank you. Because of your generosity, we were able to deliver not only backpacks and school supplies, but also a financial donation to help Compassion Connection continue serving foster, adoptive, and kinship families throughout Central Minnesota.
As a financial advisor, I spend my days helping people plan for the future. But the best plans have always been about more than money. They're about creating security, providing opportunity, and leaving the next generation better than we found it.
Supporting organizations like Compassion Connection is one small way we can live out those same values beyond the walls of our office. Thank you for helping us make a difference.
