Back-to-School: Building Community Through Giving and STEM

At Building Bridges, Inc., we believe that preparing students for a successful school year takes more than school supplies. A community that shows up for them. This year, we partnered with Southside STEM Station for our BYOB: Bring Your Own Backpack! Back-to-School Event, bringing students and families together for a day centered around education, generosity, and STEM. Over 70 attendees Families came together to receive free school supplies, participate in hands-on STEM activities, and enjoy a welcoming community experience as they prepared for the 2026–2027 school year.

Preparing Students for a New School Year

A new school year brings new opportunities, but having the right supplies can make a meaningful difference in a student's confidence and readiness to learn. This wasn’t your typical school supply giveaway. We added a little learning to the experience. Each student received a shopping checklist featuring fun, fundamental math calculations. Students used their checklist as they “shopped” for their school supplies. Once their checklist was complete, each student turned it in as their shopping receipt and received the supplies they selected. From notebooks and folders to pencils, pens, and other essentials, our goal was to help students begin the year feeling prepared and supported. For us, the event was about more than filling backpacks. It was about reminding students that their community believes in their education and their future.

Bringing STEM Into the Celebration

In partnership with Southside STEM Station, students and families also had the opportunity to engage in hands-on STEM activities and fun by making lemon batteries, building LED popsicle flashlights, and playing our 2nd edition Building A Bridge to the Future You Career Game. These experiences gave students the opportunity to learn, explore, ask questions, and see STEM as something they can actively participate in, —not just something they encounter in a classroom.+

The Power of Community Partnerships

Events like BYOB are possible because of the people and organizations willing to invest in students. Our partnership with the Southside STEM Station allowed us to combine our shared commitment to education, STEM exposure, and community engagement. By working together, we were able to create an experience that supported students and families academically with the resources they needed to start the new school year. In addition, remaining school supplies were donated to school partners to support even more students.

Thank you to Southside STEM Station, our donors, volunteers, families, and everyone who helped make BYOB possible!