Simply put, our purpose is to help people realize they are known and loved in big and small ways. As teachers and camp counselors, we are able to provide support in lots of ways and by getting to know our students and campers, we have come to recognize some needs in the communities we serve.

Through our work with children of color at the camps where we volunteer, many of whom come from low-income families, we have learned the importance of providing culturally appropriate support, which in our case, often looks like curly hair products and skin products for all skin tones. We also believe in the importance of giving people access to books and specifically books that feature characters and storylines that reflect diverse voices. Some members of our communities speak languages other English, namely Spanish, and we want to provide books for them, too.

What started as a curly hair product drive for Sister Pat’s Kids Camp, has grown to include a diverse book drive, and will hopefully soon serve people in hospitals, related charities for families affected by serious illness, and maybe even shelters! Additionally, our work with people with sickle cell anemia, other blood diseases, and cancers has shown us the great need for stem cell, bone marrow, and blood donation, which is why we hope to continue registering people for the NMDP registry and blood donation.