Ron Fitzsimmons was substitute teaching at Mount Vernon High School in Fairfax County, Virginia, when he noticed a girl crying in a corner.
He asked what was wrong, and someone told him she couldn’t afford a prom ticket. So Fitzsimmons bought her one, and then asked other teachers whether they bought things for their students.
They laughed and shared that they did.
Fitzsimmons then approached local charities and asked if they paid for smaller things he felt were important to a child’s self-esteem. They all said no, and one said they didn’t even have a petty cash drawer.
That reality inspired Fitzsimmons and his sister, Laura Fitzsimmons Peters, to launch Alice’s Kids in 2011. They both grew up in poverty on Long Island and wanted to give back.
“We saw the impact that it had on our self-esteem when we couldn’t afford to join the Cub Scouts or go on a field trip or have a pair of glasses,” Fitzsimmons told WTOP.
The nonprofit, which was initially designed to help students at several Northern Virginia schools, relies on a network of teachers and social workers. When they see a student who needs something — a yearbook, instrument lessons or soccer cleats — but can’t afford it, they submit a digital request.
Then, within a day or two, the nonprofit sends the teacher or social worker a digital gift card, which is then shared with the student’s family. Most requests are for about $100.
The group doesn’t pay for food or medical care, but Fitzsimmons said it fulfills about 98% of requests, almost always anonymously.
“The beauty of this, and what’s really attracted a lot of attention, is that the kid doesn’t know they’re getting charity,” Fitzsimmons said.
Demand for the nonprofit’s services increased after media coverage, and it transitioned from helping D.C.-area students to helping kids across the country.
Last year, Fitzsimmons said the nonprofit helped about 14,000 kids. This year, it could reach 20,000. They get 60 to 70 requests each day.
Alice’s Kids is a $1.3 million operation, Fitzsimmons said, with a small staff and assistance from volunteers. Some of that funding comes from celebrities such as Steve Carell, Patton Oswalt, Kevin Bacon and Stephanie Courtney, among others.
For this month’s back-to-school season, Fitzsimmons said the nonprofit has spent close to $70,000 helping students get access to school supplies and clothes.
“We make it an experience where the kids can go shopping,” Fitzsimmons said. “Many of these kids have never been shopping before for their own clothes or school supplies.”
Growing up in New York, Fitzsimmons said charities often brought donated clothes to their doorstep. Once, in a big box, his sister found a red jumper. Eager to wear it, she put it on for school the next day.
As she walked down the hallway, another girl yelled, “That’s my jumper,” Fitzsimmons said. It’s a feeling he aims to help students across the U.S. avoid.
“There’s a lot of shame in the delivery of charity,” Fitzsimmons said. “It still drives me nuts that there are charities out there that take pictures of the kids and put it on their websites. That’s what happened to us, and we were stigmatized for years, and that affects your self-esteem. It affects your self-worth.”
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