Beyond The Classroom

B-COS We Care about our students……..

As of May 2025, Beyond the Classroom has provided clothing to over 105,000 students. During the 2024–2025 school year alone, the program assisted students from 70 schools across El Paso County, offering clothing, hygiene items, and $75 Famous Footwear gift cards.

A total of 1,700 students received these items. In addition, 470 students from eastern El Paso County and additional students in our area received $75 Famous Footwear gift cards. Our four major events, held over nine weeks, took place at the Family Success Center, hosted by Pikes Peak United Way. While families selected clothing and hygiene items during the events, many also accessed additional services offered at the Family Success Center.

This program works closely with school counselors and liaisons in high-need schools, identified using federal free and reduced lunch data. Designated schools receive student allotments and are responsible for scheduling families to attend events. Beyond the Classroom is grateful for its partnership with Pikes Peak United Way and the Family Success Center, which provide valuable wraparound services for families in need. For the second consecutive year, Widefield High School also supported the program by holding a coat and blanket drive to help keep students warm.

History

• In 1968–1969, fifteen Colorado Springs women launched the first local school clothing program, clothing 17 children at $7.50 each, for a total cost of $127.50.

• This school clothing program and the Bargain Box Thrift Store were originally located at 509 S. Tejon. In 1974, when the building was demolished, the Bargain Box moved to 118 S. Tejon, and the school clothing program relocated to a School District 11-owned house on Uintah Street, where it operated for nine years.

• Initially, not all clothing was new; some came from the Bargain Box Thrift Store.

• In 1975, the organization rented—and later purchased—the building at 211 E. Costilla for the Bargain Box. After expansion, the school clothing program moved into that building in 1983 and remained there until 2013.

• Over the years, our organization has purchased and stored new school clothing. Students were bused to the Costilla Street site, where they selected items such as pants, shirts, jackets, hats, gloves, underwear, socks, books, school supplies, and hygiene kits. However, this system often led to inventory imbalances and shortages of essential items.

• In fall 2013, our organization piloted a partnership with a retail store, enabling families to shop in-store. This allowed for evening and weekend appointments, reducing missed school time and increasing parental involvement in clothing selection. By fall 2016, 2,721 students were served in just three and a half weeks. Clothing allotments were $65 for elementary students, $75 for middle school, and $90 for high school. A total of 171 schools in El Paso County were served, with hygiene kits provided to every student.

Recent Program Impact

During the 2024–2025 school year, the program distributed 1,700 Famous Footwear gift cards, over 6,000 pieces of clothing, and 6,800 hygiene items to students in need. Beyond the Classroom also reached an additional 16 schools in the Pikes Peak region, distributing 470 more gift cards—all within an annual budget of $225,000.