Highlights from Back in Style, LOVE Week

September 10, 2020/Center for Community Transitions

Back in Style, our 9th annual back-to-school event to help kids with incarcerated loved ones prepare for school, shifted from in-person to drive-thru this year.

CCT staff and volunteers distributed free backpacks filled with school supplies to elementary, middle and high school students who participate in Families Doing Time and Center for Women programs.

Due to COVID-19 guidelines and restrictions, parents and kids picked up bookbags and snacks in the parking lots of Thomasboro Academy and Calvary Christian Church. The locations also serve as distribution centers for CCT’s Every Tuesday food program. Staff also dropped off backpacks at Brookhill Village.

Ilona Silva Alvarez, Families Doing Time program manager, noted there are around 5,000 children in Mecklenburg County with a currently incarcerated parent, which increases their risk of living in poverty. (See WSOC article: Local organization gives away school supplies to help students whose parents are in jail.)

“Purchasing school supplies can be a significant financial strain on families whose household incomes have been cut due to the pandemic and incarceration of a family member,” she said. “Our goal with Back in Style is to help students return to school feeling confident and prepared.”

Back in Style is made possible each year through generous individuals, churches, sponsors, donors and groups that help us make a positive difference in the lives of children impacted by incarceration. Special thanks to Alight Solutions for helping sponsor the event, Swing Phi Swing Social Fellowship, and Elevation Church for donating 300 backpacks and boxes of snacks.

And speaking of Elevation Church …

LOVE Week

Elevation Church’s LOVE Week 2020 included two events for CCT. The church hosted a thank-you luncheon for the Center for Women and Families Doing Time. Staff members received a handwritten thank you note with their lunch.

At Brookhill Village, families enjoyed a summer movie night with popcorn, a “box of fun” filled with arts and crafts for kids, and hours of free electronic entertainment. Thank you, Elevation Church, for your longtime partnership and support!