A back-to-school program for children in need in Kitchener Waterloo Region
Celebrating 30 Years of Send’em Off Smiling in 2024!
Send’em Off Smiling is a registered charity which was founded in 1994 and works with schools to provide a backpack for children in need. Backpacks are filled with school clothing and supplies We are celebrating our 30 Years anniversary in 2024.
Our mission is to set children in need on a more hopeful path
Over 22,000 children helped! We love our supporters!
One in eight children now live below the poverty line in Waterloo Region. For a child, the poverty line is rarely drawn as clearly as it is on the first day of school each September. Teachers offer a heart-breaking perspective into the visible effects of poverty. Many tell us that they have brought socks, warm sweaters and even underwear to help the neediest children. Far from being excited about the first day of school, these children can begin the year with a disheartening disadvantage — and they suffer both socially and academically.
We work with schools and rely on teachers to identify those children who will benefit most from the program. We know from teacher feedback that the program does an exemplary job of “connecting the dots” between child poverty, learning readiness, and the future prospects of these children.