FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – As September hits, so does the school year. And as both parents and children prepare for a new year full of learning and adventure, back to school shopping is one of their favorite activities.
Imagine if you did not have the opportunity to do that.
New England Revolution forward Teal Bunbury aims to ensure that as children head back to the classroom, families who may not be able to afford new school supplies and clothes have an opportunity to participate in that beloved festivity.
“This is going to be our third year with ‘Back to School with the Revs,'” said Bunbury. “My wife and I started the Teal Bunbury Foundation. What we’ve been able to do in the previous years is raise some money for families to do back to school shopping for their kids, and the biggest thing for us is trying to show God’s love for one another.
“Especially last year, times were tough, and I think this year still it’s a little tough for some families. We raised $300 for each family last year, so we were able to get 40 families each a $300 gift card and go down to Target and go shopping with them and get some school supplies and clothes.”
Bunbury wants to ensure that families who are in need are able to indulge in back to school shopping.
“You know what it’s like, when you go back to school and you want some fresh clothes,” said Bunbury. “For a lot of people, they just need a helping hand. It’s been great already, the outpour of support. Last year, the fans were tremendous with it, and even my teammates have been great. It’s always a good opportunity when we have chances to help one another. We’ve all been in situations when we’ve been hurting and we might just need a little bit of God’s love, and that’s what the Teal Bunbury Foundation is all about.”
For Bunbury, it continues to be a humbling experience to spend time with the great kids who are ecstatic for the simple things that oftentimes people take for granted. Bunbury actually partakes in the shopping experience with the families, seeing the joy it brings them firsthand.
“One of my biggest [memories] is there was this kid who was looking at a pair of shoes,” said Bunbury. “The shoes were $20. He got super excited for just a $20 pair of shoes. To just see his excitement put things into perspective that there’s times when something for me might seem little, but for someone else, might mean the world to them.
“To see those families and those moms in particular – because a lot of them are single, too, which is hard, they’re working all day long – so just to see how excited they get for their kids that they get to pick out a couple things, it’s the least I can do and we can do. It’s just an amazing feeling.”
This season, the ‘Back to School with the Revs’ initiative is planning to support 50 families with each receiving a $300 gift card, aiming to raise a total of $15,000.
To help with Bunbury’s ‘Back to School with the Revs,’ you can donate HERE with 100% of your donation going towards the support of these underprivileged families.
