Back-to-school in style

On August 13, 2016, Child Advocates hosted the Cameron Childspree presented by Schlumberger. More than 400 children gathered at nine Target locations all over Houston to shop for clothes, shoes and other items before heading back to school for the year, filling the stores before they opened. The children were paired with their own personal shopper, a volunteer, to assist them and were given $100 to spend. The children who participated were children served by Child Advocates, and were in the care of Child Protective Services. For many of them it was the first time they had purchased something new to call their own.

Each volunteer shopper was given a list of necessities their child needed for the school year, like uniforms or new undergarments, but they were also encouraged to pick out something fun with the child. One little girl couldn't wait to pick out a denim jacket, and another little boy was eager to dive into the new book he was given. Each child walked away with a tummy full of breakfast, a bag of new items and a brand new backpack full of school supplies for the school year.

Many sponsors came together to make this fun morning possible, from collecting school supplies to stuff into backpacks to organizing volunteer shoppers to even underwriting the cost of the event. The following community partners made a huge impact in the lives of abused children: Cameron and Schlumberger, the Junior League of Houston, Target, Atwood Oceanics and Spark Energy.

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