Foster Kids in Austin Get Backpacks From Prudential Financial

Prudential Financial Inc. companies announced its associates have responded to the Annual Backpack Challenge issued by the Prudential Employee Community Volunteer Council by purchasing, filling and donating backpacks for foster children in Austin, Texas. The Austin Rainbow Room, a local non-profit organization that supports abused and neglected children, will accept and deliver the backpacks to children living in their group homes.

Margaret Hall, operations and control manager and other members of Prudential staff will present the backpacks to Erika Herndon, president of Partnerships for Austin Children in Crisis, other staff members at the Rainbow Room office at 901 Cameron Road, Building 3 on Aug. 20 at 11:00 a.m. Last year, Austin associates collected more than 75 backpacks benefiting some of society’s most vulnerable children.

The Annual Backpack Challenge encourages employees to collect backpacks and fill them with a variety of age and gender appropriate items that the children can keep with them wherever they go. When moving to a new home, abused and neglected children leave behind everything—their rooms, homes, toys, friends and family. The
Backpack Challenge offers a tangible way to smooth the transition andgive the children a sense of stability.

The Challenge, a nationwide effort involves associates from Prudential’s offices located in Georgia, Texas, New Jersey, Florida, Pennsylvania, Washington, Arizona, California and Minnesota. All backpacks donated will be distributed to foster children, in the neighboring communities for each Prudential campus.

Partnerships for Austin Children in Crisis (PACC) is a nonprofit organization serving the clients of Child Protective Services (CPS). The primary focus of PACC is the Rainbow Room, an emergency resource center located within the Travis County CPS offices. This center distributes new essential items such as: clothing, formula, diapers, baby cribs, basic hygiene supplies, toys and birthday gifts to clients of CPS caseworkers free of any overhead or administrative costs.