Thank you to guest blog author Brittani Gray, Vice President of Resident Services, for sharing her perspective on the multi-faceted positive impact of Nevada HAND’s Back-to-School Wellness events! Stay tuned for our follow-up post with stories and photos of the 2025 Back-to-School Wellness events in action.

Want to help support families and students? A donation to Back-to-School events is an impactful investment! 

Centering Residents, Unlocking Opportunity

At our most recent All HANDs Meeting (our quarterly all-staff event), I took a few minutes to reflect on the impact of the work we do in Resident Services—not just in numbers or reports, but in real lives.

Every day, we show up with one goal: to help people live better lives. And for many of our residents, that support goes far beyond what most people may realize. We’re not just organizing programs or distributing flyers—we’re breaking down barriers, building trust, and opening doors to opportunities that may have once felt out of reach.

This time of year, one of our key areas of focus is setting up students and parents for success in the upcoming school year. For many of our families, getting ready for a new school year isn’t as simple as grabbing a few supplies. It’s about navigating real-life challenges, including transportation, affordability, access to healthcare, and the constant balancing act of survival and stability.

Put yourself in Vanessa’s shoes.

Our Resident Services program is grounded in current best practices and research, in-house expertise, and thoughtfully-collected data, but we also work on a highly personal level, considering residents’ real lived experiences and unique needs. To help bring this to life, imagine this time of year through the perspective of a representative resident. We’ll call her Vanessa.

Vanessa is a single mom of two young kids. She works two part-time jobs just to keep the lights on and pay the rent. She doesn’t have a car, so getting anywhere means planning around the city bus schedule, often with both children in hand.

The start of school brings excitement and hope…and stress.

As the new school year approaches, Vanessa knows her children need backpacks, school supplies, updated immunizations, and a health screening for her youngest to enroll in Kindergarten. But nothing about that is easy.

To get everything done for her kids, Vanessa would have to:

  • Catch multiple buses in the summer heat, navigating long routes and transfers.
  • Take unpaid time off work, losing income she can’t afford to miss.
  • Wait in long lines at community clinics, where walk-in appointments are limited.
  • And visit three or four different locations just to get her kids ready for school.

It’s stressful. It’s exhausting. And at times, it feels impossible.

Support shows up, just steps from her front door.

But then Vanessa hears about the Back to School Wellness Fair, happening right in her own Nevada HAND community. Starting next week, everything changes for Vanessa and her family.

  • Instead of riding three buses or missing another shift, Vanessa walks to her community clubhouse. She’s greeted by friendly faces, smiling volunteers, and a room full of energy and support.
  • She picks up free backpacks and school supplies for both her kids, something she was worried about affording.
  • Right on-site, her children receive vision checks, dental screenings, and immunization updates with no appointments, and no long wait times.
  • She talks with a representative about after-school tutoring and childcare options, and for the first time in a while, the school year feels manageable.
  • At another table, she learns about resources she didn’t even know existed—resources that could bring her family more stability.
  • Meanwhile, her kids are laughing and learning at our interactive activity tables nearby.

And Vanessa? She finally feels heard. Seen. Supported. In just one visit, she gets what she needs—no buses, no missed wages, no stress.—just a real sense of connection, relief, and hope.

This is what Resident Services does, and this is why Back-to-School Wellness Events are essential.

These events don’t just save families time and money. They provide dignity, convenience, and compassion, all in a trusted environment. They transform what could be a stressful, overwhelming season into something empowering, uplifting, and full of possibility.

That’s the power of what we do. Every event that the Resident Services team helps run—it matters. It adds up. And it shapes the lives of the people who call our communities home.

Setting students up for success starts now.

Starting next week, July 21–25, each of our Family Communities will be hosting their Annual Back to School Wellness events in partnership with our trusted community organizations. These events are all about supporting our families and helping students gear up for a successful school year with free resources, school supplies, health screenings, and so much more.

I am so proud of our incredible Resident Services team for organizing these impactful events at Nevada HAND family communities. Your hard work, heart, and hustle are what make this possible.

~Brittani Gray, Vice President of Resident Services

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