Amare and his best friend from next door, fellow eight-year-old Calvin, love riding the bus together – it’s usually the best part of Amare’s day. They have a blast making jokes and talking about their most recent basketball practice together.
Last year, when an unexpected cold front rolled in, Amare stood at the bus stop as the stinging wind blew through his thin school uniform, while his best friend stood, warm and shielded from the wind, in the coat his mother had pulled from the closet that morning. Amare tried to play it off like he enjoyed the cold, but he wished he had a coat too.
Amare’s mother had been working with a caseworker, Tina, for a while now to make sure she stayed on track to keep Amare in her custody. He was previously in foster care for several months while his mother worked on settling down after leaving an abusive relationship that had derailed her life. But she wasn't making much money and couldn’t afford a new coat after Amare’s recent growth spurt.
Luckily, Tina knew she could prevent Amare from spending another cold morning shivering at the bus stop. She reached out to Community Partners of Dallas to get the perfect coat through the Coat Drive, along with some other fall and winter necessities! She even got him the perfect Iron Man costume for Halloween. When she brought everything over to Amare’s home, he beamed as he realized his new coat would match his best friend’s!
Today, Amare’s mom has put in the work to create a stable home environment for Amare and Tina has ensured that their family is going to be able to move forward and thrive together as Amare continues to grow.
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