Our school partners are a pillar of Catie’s Closet. Dedicated individuals who work in the schools we serve are the bridge between our closets and children receiving life-changing access to clothing and basic necessities.
Lizmarie Hernandez Capellan is a School-Based Homeless/Newcomer Family Specialist at Oliver Middle School in Lawrence. She has an incredible seven-year connection to Catie’s Closet.
When Liz was 18, she moved out of foster care and into her own apartment. Still attending high school, she could not afford life’s most basic necessities, including toiletries and clothing items.
A teacher noticed her situation and encouraged her to visit Catie’s Closet. It took some convincing, but one day, she agreed to open the door and step inside. The moment she did, she was “amazed”.
She realized that she was not the only student who needed help, and there was a constant resource she could rely on without embarrassment.
From that day on, Liz visited Catie’s Closet whenever she needed basic necessities to care for herself and attend school comfortably and confidently.
Fast forward to today, and Liz is now the empathetic adult who introduces students to Catie’s Closet and accompanies them as they pick out what they need. She currently works with 17 students in grades 6-8 and their families experiencing homelessness or living in the country for the first time. She often tells them, “I was you.”
The students she supports may be couch surfing, renting a room, or sleeping in a car. “If students are lacking at home, they can’t do well in school,” she says.
Offering a warm place to go, consistent meals to eat, and free access to essentials, school becomes a way for students to escape their realities. Students turn to school as a way to get their basic needs met.
With caring school faculty members stepping up to help students in the most need of support, children can look ahead to a future where they can make their own impact on the world, just like Liz has.