Creating Transformational Change: Stories from Bellevue LifeSpring’s Luncheons

Over 3,600 kids in Bellevue live in poverty. In the Bellevue School District, 18% of students are at risk of hunger. Approximately 200 children are homeless. The stories behind these shocking numbers are what bring them to life. Stories of families facing unimaginable loss, building new lives and overcoming the cycle of poverty. Bellevue LifeSpring’s … Read Now

Hungry For Knowledge – The Crucial Link Between Hunger and Education

Addressing hunger and education helps children achieve their full potential.

In Bellevue, 18% of children are living in poverty and food insecure. These children live in an environment that lacks reliable access to a sufficient quantity or quality of affordable, nutritious food. These kids struggle in the classroom hungry and lacking the resources they need to thrive. Limited Bandwidth “We all have limited cognitive bandwidth,” … Read Now

Back to Class with Healthy School Snacks

Breakfast snack packs help kids start their day off right.

Currently, 19% of students are living in poverty right here in Bellevue. Many of these students miss breakfast, go home to an empty house after school or simply don’t have enough to eat at home. Healthy snacks help fill these gaps so kids get enough to eat and are able to stay focused in the … Read Now

A Breaktime-Mealtime Box Keeps Kids Going Strong

Yahir

Yahir and his siblings live with their mom and are a strong family unit. They all pitch in to keep the house running smoothly – Yahir’s chore is vacuuming. Living on a single income means money is tight. They rely on the free meals the kids receive at school to make ends meet. Yahir signed … Read Now

New Country, New Community, New Start

New Country Maya’s year has been a stressful one, emigrating from her native Syria, navigating the U.S. immigration system and trying to establish a home for her family. She took a job working part time at a local department store as she waited to be reunited with her family. For the first part of the … Read Now

Justus Wants to Thank You

Bellevue LifeSpring college scholarship recipient Justus

In many ways, Justus was just like other kids at Newport High School. He studied hard, went to class and spent time on the hobbies he loved. And like other kids, he wanted to turn his passion into a career. Justus was the first in his family to attend college. His family was thrilled when … Read Now

Elise’s Story

Elise moved to Bellevue with her family when she was in middle school. She spoke no English. She was smart and hard-working and by the time she reached high school she had graduated out of her ESL classes. As a senior at Sammamish High School, Elise learned about the Overlake Service League college scholarship program. … Read Now

Christmas in July: Summer Signups at Bellevue LifeSpring

Summer is one of the busiest times of year for our programs and services team. During July and August, they’ll interview nearly 300 families during signups for our Clothes-4-Kids™ and Holiday Adopt-A-Family™ programs. In the past, these summer signups have been held in rented and borrowed spaces. This year, thanks to our new office, we … Read Now

Five Things to Know About 26 Kids Set to Take on the World

Bellevue LifeSpring's 2017-2018 college scholarship recipients

What do a future chemical engineer, nurse and journalist all have in common? They are all heading to college this fall with the help of Bellevue LifeSpring college scholarships! Bellevue LifeSpring is making 26 students’ dreams of higher education reality! This fall, 10 freshmen, three sophomores, nine juniors, two seniors and two adult scholarship recipients … Read Now

Grads-On-Track™ By the Numbers

Luisa's summer school scholarship helped put her on the path toward college.

Low-income students are especially vulnerable to falling behind in school. An unstable home life and poor nutrition can cause students living in poverty to fail their classes. On average, summer school courses to make up a class and retrieve credits are $180 each and can cost up to $420. Families living in poverty are already … Read Now