Miami Cares: As We Head into Back-to-School, Bored No More and Other Organizations Recognize It Isn't One-Size-Fits-All

From students receiving backpacks and meals through Style Saves (www.stylesaves.org), founded by Isabela Rangel Grutman and Rachael Russell Saiger, to students in shelters supported by Bring Sunshine (www.bringsunshine.org), founded by the Holman siblings Summer, Sienna, Sylvie, and Hunter, there are a variety of ways organizations and the community can support South Florida students as they prepare for back-to-school. This year, Bring Sunshine is partnering with Lotus House for a five-day executive function program with their kids, building a school-success kit, from a decorated journal to an organized binder, designed to turn everyday supplies into lasting skills. Some students also have to miss school due to extended hospital stays, and that is where the nonprofit Bored No More (www.BoredNoMoreCharity.org) comes in.

Alexis Brady and Taylor Brady of Bored No More

Bored No More was co-founded by sisters Taylor Brady, 17, and Alexis Brady, 19, Miami natives who now reside in Philadelphia. The charity delivers fun, health and wellness bags, called “Kids Care” tote bags, to students facing extended hospital stays, offering a small piece of the excitement and connection that a new school year usually brings, delivered straight to a hospital bed instead. This back-to-school season, that mission continues in the city where the sisters grew up, led by a group of childhood friends and continuing to partner with local children's hospitals and other nonprofits.

A Homecoming Built on Friendship

Bored No More's Miami chapter is led by co-directors Brianna Sabogal, Bianca Ceballos, and Mia Caleca-Miller, all lifelong friends of Taylor and Alexis from their elementary school days in Miami. Together with a growing team of local teens, they rally the Miami community with impactful volunteer opportunities, bag-building parties, and sponsorship drives, giving local teens a way to see first-hand the benefits of their hard work and dedication to improving the mental health and well-being of others.

“It takes a village to make sure no student feels bored or forgotten, especially as summer ends and school begins,” says Bored No More co-founder Taylor Brady. “Our bags aren't just comprised of toys, games, and books; they're a bridge to helping students stay engaged and positive during tough times. We're thrilled to keep building on the work that we’ve been doing in Miami.”

Partnering With Jackson Health System and Holtz Children's Hospital

At the center of the Miami chapter's work is an ongoing partnership with Jackson Health System and Holtz Children's Hospital.  Bored No More has donated its signature activity bags to pediatric patients at Jackson's Pediatric Promise Extended Care Center (PPEC) as part of a holiday toy drive. More recently, the chapter organized a car wash fundraiser with Wash Depot Holdings of South Florida, with donors including Asinet Security & Communications, to sponsor the photo booth and decorations for Holtz Children's Hospital's “Miami Nights” Prom, which was an exciting event for the teen patients.

Bianca Maria Ceballos, Brianna Sabogal, and friends enroute to Holtz Children's Hospital at Jackson

With the start of a new school year, the Miami chapter is deepening that relationship further, delivering Bored No More's “Kids Care” tote bags to Holtz patients and beyond. They’ve also been in discussions with the Ronald McDonald House Charities South Florida on best ways to get involved and help as well.  The timing is intentional: as students everywhere buzz about new school-year adventures, those in extended hospital stays can be left feeling isolated from that excitement. Bored No More's bags are built to close that gap.

“We're showing how summer volunteerism can extend into the school year, creating lasting impact,” says Bored No More co-founder Alexis Brady. “Teens can lead fundraisers, host pop-up sponsorship drives at local back-to-school events, or even organize bag-building parties, all while gaining skills in leadership and supporting our community in a meaningful way.”

By the Numbers

Since its founding, Bored No More has impacted more than 3,500 patients and their families, donated more than 1,200 activity bags, raised over $85,000, and mobilized more than 250 volunteers nationwide. Each $50 tote is packed with toys, games, art supplies, books, wellness items, and tools designed to help students process and express what they're going through during a hospital stay, offering a small but important sense of connection and enrichment.

Fashion for a Cause

Bored No More has also found fundraising partners in the fashion world, teaming up with brands including Kendra Scott and Veronica Beard to help raise money for its programs. These retail partnerships give the charity another way to turn everyday shopping into support for students in extended hospital stays, broadening its base of donors beyond traditional charity events.

From the Bored No More fundraiser/shopping event at the Kendra Scott store in Pembroke Pines

Expanding Beyond Miami: The DC/Maryland/Virginia Chapter

Bored No More's reach extends well beyond Florida. The DC/Maryland/Virginia chapter, led by co-director Naya Joseph and fundraising chair Parker Javdan, is coming up with new and creative ways to enhance the patient experience, including children's book events with children's author Danielle Joseph and a rock-painting activity, creating new educational and creative outlets for students in hospitals during this busy back-to-school time.

This back-to-school season, as Miami rallies behind students getting ready for the classroom, Bored No More is asking the community to remember the students who cannot be there. A donated bag, a sponsorship, or a few hours of volunteer time can make sure that even from a hospital bed, no Miami student feels forgotten. Together with organizations like Style Saves and Bring Sunshine, these efforts show how South Florida's youth-led philanthropy is meeting students where they are this back-to-school season, in the classroom, at home, and in the hospital. 

By ML Staff.