September is back to school month and that means school supply shopping. Many children look forward to picking out their new notebooks and planners, but for others, their excitement is diminished because they cannot afford the supplies they need. Studies have shown that when students have their own school supplies, their grades and classroom behavior improve and they become more excited about school and learning. If you would like to help ensure children have everything they need to start the year off right, donate to the BBF School Supply Fund.

This October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month will be especially meaningful to all of us at BBF. Laura Kelly, the vice president of communications and development, concluded her 10 months of cancer treatments in August and can now celebrate being cancer-free. During treatments, Laura continued working every day for BBF and focused on expanding the Breast Cancer Awareness Fund (BCAF). The fund works to address inequities in care for women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer, provide early detection education and resources, and help to pay for treatment for those who cannot afford it on their own. Last year, the BCAF made donations to Ribbons of Love in Honduras and Montefiore St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital in New York. This year, BBF will also partner with RAD-AID International to increase access to radiology and imaging in low resource regions of the world.