Realtors Building a Brighter Future for Big Horn Basin Youth
The start of the school year can be an exciting time for young children. Students will meet new teachers, make memories on the playground, and reconnect with friends. For others, though, this time is nerve-wracking. In Wyoming, roughly 10% (Annie E. Casey Foundation) of children live in poverty and don’t have the ability to afford new school equipment, from backpacks to pencils to loose-leaf paper.
Because of this, school becomes a place of comparison and feeling left out, rather than a platform to learn and step into the world with confidence. Outside of the classroom, these children often find themselves with the inability to join their peers in partaking in summer events such as the Park County Fair.
Northwest Wyoming REALTORS® for Kids, a local nonprofit organization, sees the struggles these children go through and steps in to help. Previously, they partnered with Sleep in Heavenly Peace in Cody. By combining their annual carnival with a bed-building event, they provided safe bunk beds for local children who lack what many take for granted: a safe place to sleep.
Continuing their annual event, REALTORS® for Kids is once again putting together their free Back-to-School Carnival and School Supply Giveaway event at Washington Park in Powell, Wyoming. The event, put on by local REALTORS® and their affiliates, with the generous support of the Northwest Wyoming Board of REALTORS®, The Moyer Foundation, The Bargain Box, and other local businesses and individual donors, will host free carnival games, offer prizes, community resource and even some food while providing an excellent family atmosphere. The Carnival will take place on August 6, 2026 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m, at Washington Park in Powell.
This year, over 400 backpacks filled with school supplies will be distributed to local students who attend the carnival while supplies last. With the active support of the community, these events can reach even more school-aged children, not only fueling their academic growth and helping them stand tall among their peers, but also fostering a brighter and more compassionate future for Wyoming as a whole.
According to their flyer, REALTORS® for Kids “has helped local children with various funds” for over a decade. Beyond school supplies, Northwest Wyoming REALTORS® for Kids funds critical medical bills, sports fees, camp tuitions, and even basic needs and new bicycles to help local children thrive.
Pia Trotter, a member of Northwest Wyoming REALTORS® for Kids said that, “[We have helped] with medical expenses, help kids attend summer camps, wrestling camps, speech and debate for Powell High School. We actually helped them with their lodging at the national convention.” They in return helped at the local Carnival.
Every child deserves the chance to play, learn and travel without the weight of financial burden. Support for Northwest Wyoming REALTORS® for Kids directly funds some of the essentials needed that local families cannot afford. Community generosity plays an important part in REALTORS® for Kids’s mission by financially supporting medical bills, covering sports fees, and providing basic school supplies. By taking part in this mission, neighbors can ensure that no local child can be left behind.
More information and help can be found here: https://nwwyrealtors4kids.org/
If you know of someone who could use the support, talk to a local REALTOR®
Ava Junker
Cody Journal Journalist
Ava Junker is a student at the University of Wyoming pursuing a bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism. Growing up and moving around as a military brat, her family finally settled in Cody, Wyoming where she graduated from Cody High School. Since then, she has worked as the Digital Editor-in-chief for the university’s paper, “The Branding Iron,” and is now a journalist for our journal.
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