Amaya’s backpack foundation nears milestone

By Anthony Collins

LPR Editor                                       

   For retired Lockhart educator Connie S. Amaya, returning to Pride High School is more than a homecoming. It is a chance to continue a mission that began quietly beneath her desk and has since provided thousands of local students with the supplies and confidence needed to begin a new school year.

   Amaya will return to the campus where she once served as secretary and registrar to distribute approximately 900 backpacks to area students. The event marks the largest single distribution organized through her foundation and brings Amaya close to a milestone of 4,000 backpacks provided since 2019. “My heart has always been with Pride High School students,” Amaya said. “I spent years there as the secretary and registrar, so being back on those grounds means everything to me. I’m waiting with so much anticipation, and the people at Lockhart ISD are just as excited to have our distribution there.” Amaya retired five years ago and has not returned to the school since leaving her position. Her upcoming visit will bring her back to the building where her efforts to help students first began.

   Although the foundation’s organized backpack distributions began in 2019, Amaya said the inspiration for the program came years earlier while she was working at Pride High School. “As the registrar, I saw students who came in without supplies, and sometimes they were embarrassed because a parent had to say they couldn’t get them,” Amaya said. “So I started keeping backpacks and supplies under my desk for whoever needed them.”

   Those small acts of kindness eventually developed into an annual effort serving hundreds of children and families throughout the Lockhart community. Amaya continues to personally fund much of the program using money from her retirement. Community donations now help support the distributions, but Amaya remains the driving force behind purchasing supplies, organizing volunteers and ensuring backpacks reach students who need them. “I never stopped, because I always understood how much it mattered,” she said. “Every child deserves to walk into school ready and confident. That’s what keeps me going, and that’s why I’ll keep funding it as long as I can.”

   Amaya said the significance of the project goes far beyond providing pencils, notebooks and other classroom necessities. “This milestone reminds me why we started,” she said. “It’s more than just a backpack. What goes inside does more than put a pencil in a student’s hands. It builds confidence and opens doors for kids, no matter their circumstances.” The foundation’s continued growth has become a family effort. Amaya’s children, grandchildren and extended family members work together to prepare and distribute the backpacks, with four generations participating in the annual project. “My family is a big reason this keeps growing,” Amaya said. “Having them as my supporters, seeing how much it means to them and how hard they work, pushes me to keep going every year.”

   Their involvement also gives Amaya confidence that the mission will continue long into the future. “I know my legacy will keep going, because my children, grandchildren and family will carry it on,” she said. For families struggling with the increasing cost of school supplies, the backpack distribution provides meaningful financial relief. For students, Amaya hopes the backpacks serve as a reminder that members of their community believe in them and want them to succeed. “What I hope every student feels is simple,” Amaya said. “It’s more than a backpack. It’s someone telling them they matter, and that their education is worth investing in.”