From Our RHK Executive Director: Back-to-School

This summer, our kids and teens have made so many memories. We started with some of our favorite traditions like Lockwood Park and Medieval Times. Then, enjoyed trips to the Shedd Aquarium, Alpine Pool, Klehm Arboretum, and Urban Air. Each place brought laughter, adventure, and moments we’ll carry into the school year ahead. With school approaching so quickly, we’ve been intentional about getting the most out of every bit of summer we could. It’s been very full—busy, joyful, and gone in a blink. I can’t help but remember when summers stretched all the way to after Labor Day. Oh, the “good ‘ole days” (or “the 1900s”, as the kids say now!)

Now, August is here and our focus shifts to preparing our kids—and the kids in our community—for a strong, healthy start to the school year. Rockford Public Schools' first day back is August 13, so time is short.

A big highlight in August is our Back-to-School Health Fair, now in its third year.

When I think about how this event began, I still smile. It started with something as simple as a conversation about fruit cups. Yes, fruit cups. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois wanted to hand them out to kids, and in that conversation, I mentioned something heavier on my heart: so many of our kids were missing the start of school because they didn’t have their required physicals and immunizations.

That simple exchange turned into something far greater.

Our first year, we welcomed about 100 people, and we were excited because we had no idea what to expect. We were serving families, meeting needs, and seeing our community show up. The next year, we hoped for a few hundred. Instead, over 550 people came.

Now, the Back-to-School Health Fair is something we look forward to every year. What started as a small conversation has grown into an event filled with school physicals, immunizations, hearing screenings, backpacks full of school supplies, food trucks, a prayer tent, and community resource vendors, all offered completely free to families. More than anything, it has become a place where we hope people feel seen, cared for, and welcomed. A place where love is tangible. A place where, above all else, we pray people encounter Jesus.

The work we get to do at RHK is humbling. It moves fast and can feel overwhelming at times. There are moments when the weight of all the “doing” leaves us tired. But in those moments, we are reminded: this is not carried by our strength. It is carried by God’s. We are not just working; we are walking in what He has already prepared for us.

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” — Ephesians 2:10

And when the pace feels heavy, Galatians 6:9 brings us back to center:

“Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”

Thank you for being part of this journey, for supporting this work, and for helping us serve our kids and our community.

Blessings,

Dee Lacny, Executive Director, Rock House Kids