Easing the burden of back-to-school for 2,500 local students

When Derrick Hough walked through the doors of Edith I. Starke Elementary School in DeLand, it felt like returning to his own childhood.

As a boy, he roamed these very hallways with a backpack over his shoulders, filled with pencils, paper, and the anticipation of a new school year.

Decades later, Hough returned not as a student, but as a pastoral care chaplain at AdventHealth DeLand, ready to hand out backpacks to children who reminded him of his younger self.

"These backpacks carry more than supplies. They carry encouragement."

“Going back to the school gave me a deep sense of fulfillment,” Hough said. “It felt like closing a circle — reaching back to the place that shaped me and helping kids feel prepared for the year ahead. Sometimes, a simple backpack can carry a message that you belong, that someone believes in you.”

This summer, AdventHealth team members donated nearly 2,500 backpacks filled with classroom essentials, such as folders, crayons, and pencils, for students who might otherwise begin the year without the tools to succeed. The effort reached families across nearly 70 elementary schools in Flagler, Lake and Volusia counties, in partnership with local nonprofits.

Studies show that when children start the year with the supplies they need, they are less likely to miss class, more likely to succeed academically, and better able to build the confidence that supports long-term health.

“Health doesn’t just happen in hospital rooms,” said Rob Deininger, CEO of the AdventHealth East Florida Division. “It shows up in whether kids can focus in class because they have what they need, or whether parents can exhale knowing their child is ready for school. These backpacks carry more than supplies — they carry encouragement.”

That link between health and education shapes much of AdventHealth’s community work. Throughout the year, the health system partners with local schools to address challenges like food insecurity and chronic absenteeism — from stocking “Fuel the Fridge” stations with healthy snacks to funding bicycles for students who lack reliable transportation.

Every three years, AdventHealth surveys neighborhoods, schools, and churches through its Community Health Needs Assessment to learn what matters most to residents. The findings help shape initiatives like backpack drives and free after-school meals.

For Hough, the work feels deeply personal. For the families who received the backpacks, it was a relief and a reminder that health is not confined to exam rooms and hospital beds.

“We’re part of this community,” Deininger added. “Whether through backpacks, nutritious food or programs that remove barriers to learning, our goal is to support our neighbors and help them thrive.”

For the students who carried those backpacks home, the start of school came not with worry, but with confidence — and that’s a gift that lasts well beyond the classroom.