As an elementary student at St. Anne’s-Belfield School in Charlottesville, Lucia Hoerr looked forward to back-to-school shopping more than anything else.
“I loved being able to pick out the cutest notebooks, fun-shaped erasers, sparkly pencils and everything else that caught my eye,” she said.
But Hoerr’s mother, Gail, made sure her daughter understood not every child shared this privilege. Many students in their community couldn’t afford new backpacks or basic school supplies.
From left, Lucia Hoerr poses with St. Anne’s-Belfield School friends Jayne Frazier, Emily Trebour and Molly Morris in 2015. Hoerr’s friends and family became essential volunteers of Backpack Buddies, helping the organization grow into a collaborative effort. (Contributed photo)
Right before her 10th birthday, she started fundraising to purchase and donate backpacks and school supplies for other Charlottesville students. The Class of 2023 University of Virginia alumna said, “I decided that a problem faced by kids could be solved by a kid.”
She began fundraising to fill backpacks with school supplies for students in need. Fifteen years later, her initiative has grown into a thriving organization, Backpack Buddies, which recently received a $7,500 donation from Geico to expand its reach.
A collision of worlds
Hoerr started working with Geico in March 2024 as a software engineer. When she learned in April about the company’s Fast Pitch Program – an internal competition where employees nationwide submit their favorite nonprofits for funding – she applied immediately.
For Hoerr, the choice was deeply personal. She submitted the very organization she founded as a child. Hoerr learned on July 16 she was one of multiple winners and Geico would donate $7,500 to Backpack Buddies.
“It was such an amazing collision of worlds, where my nonprofit that I do outside of work and my work come together,” she said.
Hoerr expects the Geico donation to fund about 200 backpacks stuffed with school supplies. The Geico office in Virginia is also partnering with her on upcoming fundraising events, multiplying the program’s impact across the region.
“The money will definitely help another couple of hundred students in Charlottesville and the surrounding areas start this school year and next school year with a backpack, school supplies and everything they need to start the year off on the right foot,” Hoerr said.
