Kiwanis’-Sponsored Back-to-School Bingo Night Provides School Supplies for Children, Youth at Bethany Children’s Home

Bethany Children’s Home CEO Kevin Snyder, center, with Kiwanis Club of Greater Reading-Berks County members with backpacks donated for the children and youth.

As they get ready to step into their second century of service to children, members of the Kiwanis Club of Greater Reading-Berks County (Pa.) donated backpacks and school supplies to the kids at the Bethany Children’s Home in a unique fashion. On Wednesday evening, Aug. 23, the Kiwanis Club hosted a Back-to-School Bingo for the residents of Bethany.

Backpacks, duffel bags, lunch bags, and assorted school supplies also were donated by Precision Medical Products in Denver, Pa., Tulpehocken UCC in Richland, Pa., and L&B Dodge, Chrysler, Plymouth in Robesonia, Pa., so that all youth in care would receive a new backpack filled with new supplies and essential items to start school on Monday, Aug. 28, 2017.

The teens at Bethany competed at Bingo to select their backpacks, duffel bags and assorted school supplies. This is just one of several projects the Kiwanis Club sponsors to benefit the children at Bethany.  Other projects include making Christmas cards for veterans at the Lebanon V.A. Hospital, making applesauce with the residents in the cottage kitchen, and spring cleanup of the gardens on the Bethany campus.  The Kiwanis Club of Greater Reading-Berks County celebrates the 100th anniversary of its chartering this coming Oct. 30.

At Bethany, school supplies are always in high demand as new youth are placed into care each day. The backpacks and supplies provide youth the opportunity to individualize their items and be set up for success throughout the year.

Kevin Snyder, CEO of Bethany Children’s Home shared that “the generosity of our local community to help our youth be prepared for school is tremendous. Through their gifts, no youth will need to worry about having school supplies for not only the beginning of the school year, but also throughout the entire year. Education is one of the keys to the success for the youth we care for. Providing each youth the support, enrichment and tools they need to achieve their academic goals empowers them to take back their lives.”