This August, hundreds of thousands of children across Los Angeles are getting ready for the first day of school. From soon-to-be transitional kindergarteners to our elementary and high schoolers to our adult learners getting ready for a new semester, this moment is full of feeling: excitement, concern, curiosity, pride, anxiety, and joy, often all at once—for students and the people who care for them alike.

The Karsh Center is proud to help these students and families feel a little more prepared through our annual backpack distribution. Each year, our staff and volunteers welcome Karsh members and their children to pick out a brand new backpack and a school supply kit, helping them head into the classroom feeling ready and confident.

True to the Karsh Center’s client-choice model, our distribution invites each child to browse a range of backpacks and choose the one that fits their style and preferences. For a young child, that act of choosing is its own kind of dignity, a small taste of power and independence.

This year’s event, held on July 17, welcomed more than 200 children and their families, who were greeted by volunteers and staff as they picked up their back-to-school gear. We shared our remaining inventory with even more families through events hosted by our collaborators, Koreatown Youth + Community Center (KYCC), West Hollywood Community Housing Corporation (WHCHC) and Inner City Law Center (ICLC). 

This event is only possible thanks to our incredibly generous supporters.  Thank you to our individual donors, City National Bank, and Baby2Baby, who made sure we had over 400 backpacks in every size and style, plus more than 600 school supply kits. And thank you to our dedicated volunteers—including a team from City National Bank—whose time and energy brought this day to life.

To every student in the Karsh Center community: we wish you a wonderful start to the 2026–2027 school year: You’ve got this!