As students prepare to return to school in just a few weeks, they’ll be heading back to more than just classrooms—they’ll be returning to a place where help is available when life gets tough.
For the 20th year, Silver Dollar City Foundation will be equipping Stone and Taney County schools with funds to help students who lack basic resources, like school supplies, shoes and much more. Since 2006, more than $2.5 million has been distributed to local districts to meet these essential needs.
This year, $155,000 between the 14 public districts based on each district’s free and reduced lunch enrollment. From there, educators are empowered to meet the needs of students. Needs range from as simple as a new winter coat to helping families who lost nearly everything in a fire get back on their feet.
"There’s so much in our children’s lives that we simply cannot control,” said Reeds Spring Primary School Principal Adria Simkins. “So, when we do have the opportunity to make life a little easier or a little better—and the means to do it—it’s not just a relief, it’s a gift.”
During the 2024-2025 school year, nearly 5,700 individual needs were met through Care For Kids.
Retiring Kirbyville Associate Superintendent Leanne West explains that needs are often complex and most families are only one sickness or one accident away from needing help.
Care For Kids this past school year, Kirbyville School District had the honor of helping a parent battling a long-term illness. The parent was fearful of losing her family’s home but thanks to the work of the school district, they were able to cover an unpaid tax bill, keeping the family in their home. Another time, West explained, they helped a family following an auto accident that resulted in a loss of income.
“The work of Silver Dollar City Foundation’s Care For Kids program is among the most generous works of our community,” West shares. “It recognizes the vulnerable position of children, validates the work of the school districts, and provides a way for needs to be met. Because of the mission of the foundation, the students of Stone and Taney County know what grace, hope and love look and feel like.”
During the 2024-2025 school year, Care For Kids helped meet the following needs:
“Each one of those numbers represent a time when a child was struggling and one of our local educators saw the need and met the need,” said Silver Dollar City Foundation Executive Director Mindy Honey. “The world can seem so cruel for children who face struggles beyond their control, but when we are able to empower our local educators, the people who work directly with these children day after day, to meet needs as they see needs, it’s making life a little brighter for those kids.”
Silver Dollar City Foundation’s Care For Kids is made possible by the generosity of Silver Dollar City Parks & Resorts, Woodland Hills Family Church and other generous donors. Silver Dollar City Foundation is a 501c(3) private foundation dedicated to helping children and families in Stone and Taney counties.
To learn more, visit SilverDollarCityFoundation.com.
Mindy Honey, Executive Director of the Silver Dollar City Foundation, finds her passion in helping children and families thrive. Through the foundation, she works with area schools to ensure that…
