08/24/2026
What a day we had yesterday! 🙌🏽❤️
My day began at 4 a.m., loading the van with tables, decor, games and supplies from one of our sponsors, Branden’s Safe House, as we prepared for the Behind The Chair Foundation’s 1st Back to School Haircut & Bookbag Giveaway Fundraiser, hosted by House of Barbers HV !
First, we want to say THANK YOU to our community for the incredible outpouring of donations. Chris Marino even said that for our very first event, he was shocked by how much we were able to collect! That is because of YOU. Every bookbag, notebook, pencil, folder, school supply and dollar given mattered.
A huge thank you to our T-shirt sponsor, Gisele Camielle of Rosado Law Group, who had us looking like the TEAM we have become after seven months of planning, preparing, meeting and believing in this vision together.
Thank you to Yaritza Ruiz of Absolutely Clear Title, The FLOW Kingdom Ministries , and Selah Hair Studio for making it possible to have Q92 on the scene with us!
We had a great turnout and were blessed to actually have an overflow of school supplies. And because a blessing should never stop with us, those remaining supplies will continue to serve children in our community. We will be donating supplies to organizations such as Bethel Missionary Baptist Church , through their relationship with Fostering Hope Together , where remaining bookbags will be filled with personal care items and given to children in foster homes.
A gift that keeps on giving!
Scripture teaches us to be fruitful and multiply, and that is exactly what we intend to do. We are taking what you all placed into our hands and multiplying the blessing so that it reaches even further than this one event. 🙏🏽
I also believe in transparency. Financially, this first fundraiser did not break even. We invested more into making this day happen than we were able to raise. But we do not look at that as defeat. We look at it as our first year of learning. We learned what worked, what didn’t, what needs to change and how we can steward our resources differently next year so that we can raise even more for the children and families we are called to serve.
And that is where we need our community.
When you see an organization offering something FREE to families, jump on board and help us spread the word. Share the flyer. Tag a family. Tell a neighbor. Invite someone.
And when you see that same organization fundraising, jump on board then too. Donate $5. Donate $10. Share the fundraiser. Become a sponsor. Volunteer. Tell somebody about the mission.
Because free services are never truly free. Someone donated. Someone sponsored. Someone volunteered. Someone sacrificed their time, talent or finances to make sure another family didn't have to pay.
Behind The Chair Foundation exists with a special heart for children impacted by parental incarceration, but ultimately, when there is an opportunity to pour into a child, we want to be there.
Yesterday wasn't just about haircuts and bookbags.
It was about community.
It was about service.
It was about planting seeds.
It was about showing children that people they may never even meet cared enough to give.
We planted. We watered. And we trust God with the increase. 🌱🙏🏽
Thank you to every sponsor, donor, barber, stylist, volunteer, organization and community member who stood with us.
This was our first one.
We learned. We served. We gave. And by the grace of God, we will be back even stronger next year.
❤️ Behind The Chair Foundation
Helping to bridge the gap from behind bars to Behind the Chair.
