Schools Opens Monday: Health First Associates Help Set Up Students for School-Year Success
As the sweltering August temperatures began rising Thursday morning, the heat had nothing on Health First’s associates’ generous back-to-school spirit.
As part of Health First’s recent annual associate appreciation week, Brevard’s leading wellness and health care organization saw its team members turn the tables – from a celebration of their compassionate care to an act of giving.
Associates collected, loaded up, and delivered thousands of school and hygiene supplies to the Brevard Schools Foundation’s Supply Zone for Teachers.
A group of associates volunteered at the Health First Connections Center in Melbourne to load a U-Haul box truck with the donations. The supplies — including backpacks, notebooks, pencils, deodorant, and socks — were delivered to the Supply Zone in Cocoa, where they’ll be distributed to students and teachers in need.
“One of the things that we pride ourselves on at Health First is our mission and our values,” said Emily Doerhoff, Vice President of Human Resources. “Our mission is: We exist to improve the health and wellness of the communities we serve.”
According to the Report on the Condition of Education 2024, Research shows that across the U.S., 1 in 4 students start school without the supplies they need. That’s a serious learning barrier.
And then there’s the $858 per student the average K-12 family is budgeting for back-to-school expenses his year, reports the National Retail Federation, the average K–12 family is budgeting $858 per student for back-to-school expenses.
Brevard County sees its share of families struggling to make ends meet, with statistics showing 37.5% of Brevard students are economically disadvantaged.
This event, aligning with Health First’s 30th anniversary in Brevard County, was about stepping in and simply saying to Brevard teachers and students, “We’ve got you.”
“We wanted to give back to our communities,” Doerhoff said. “And what better way to do that than Brevard Public Schools, being able to donate to those students who are in most need at this time, as well as the teachers.
“Many of our associates said that this fills their hearts,” Doerhoff added. “This is one of the most rewarding things that we get to do at Health First.”
At the Supply Zone, the impact of the donation was immediately clear.
“Today’s event is very special,” said Pamela Lyons, Program Manager for the Supply Zone for Teachers.
“Health First donated a generous amount of supplies to the Supply Zone for the new school year. These supplies will reach all 85 schools, so students will have the essential supplies needed to start the school year off successfully.”
Since its founding in 2014, the Supply Zone has distributed more than $7.5 million in supplies, impacting over 207,000 students in Brevard County, Lyons said.
Nina Moser, Director of Development at the Brevard Schools Foundation, emphasized the importance of partnerships like this one.
“We are very grateful for Health First collecting school supplies, because there are going to be that many kids in our classrooms starting on Monday who are prepared when the teacher tells them to pull out a notebook or a pencil,” Moser said.
She added: “Our Supply Zone for Teachers is open all year round to be sure that teachers and students have what they need. Our Supply Zone is open for Teachers to come and shop — shop without price tags — so they can fill their classrooms with supplies so that when kids need them, they have them.”