Thursday, October 1, 2026
For over three decades, every summer has looked much the same for the John Theissen Children's Foundation in Wantagh. Backpacks line the shelves, volunteers sort pencils, notebooks and glue sticks, and referrals begin pouring in from schools, hospitals and shelters across Long Island.
By the time the foundation's annual back-to-school program wraps up in early September, thousands of children facing illness or financial hardship will head back to class with new backpacks, school supplies and, for many, gift cards to buy new clothes.
For founder John Theissen, the program has always been about more than checking items off a school supply list.
"It's not only helping a family financially," Theissen, 54, said. "It helps a child feel like a regular kid with their self-esteem. Every child should have the same opportunity to learn."
The foundation, now beginning its 35th year, was created after Theissen survived a brain tumor as a teenager. While recovering at Schneider Children's Hospital, he met young patients who had little or no family support, an experience that changed his outlook and reshaped his future.
"I told my mom I'd be back to help out kids like this," Theissen recalled. "I knew from that point on it was going to be a new life for me. I've been given so many chances at life that I’d feel like a coward if I didn't start a foundation to make a better world and help these kids."
What started as a holiday toy drive has evolved into a year-round nonprofit that helps sick and underprivileged children with everything from medical expenses and transportation to therapy programs, birthday parties and seasonal initiatives like the back-to-school drive.
Families don't apply directly. Instead, social workers, case managers, schools, hospitals and shelters refer children to the foundation, allowing staff to verify each family's needs. Once they are approved, children receive backpacks filled with items on their specific school supply lists. Depending on available funding, many also receive $100 gift cards for stores such as Target or Old Navy so they can buy new clothes before classes begin.
The gift cards were added after an encounter that has stayed with Theissen for years. Early in the program's history, he met a family whose child arrived wearing sneakers that had been cut open to make room for growing toes. The child admitted being embarrassed to return to school because classmates would have new clothes while they had outgrown nearly everything they owned.
"We ended up getting them what they needed," Theissen said. "That's really why we started giving gift cards. It helps them feel like any other kid."
The need continues to grow. The foundation received requests beginning in June, and expects another busy season before the Sept. 6 conclusion of the drive. Last year it distributed roughly 2,500 fully stocked backpacks, and included gift cards for as many families as funding allowed.
"We always see a higher demand every year," Theissen said. "As long as they're legitimate requests, we try to help as many kids as we can."
The foundation relies heavily on donations from residents, businesses and community groups. Monetary donations allow volunteers to purchase supplies that run short, while donated backpacks and new school supplies are distributed directly to children.
"The community has been incredible since day one," Theissen said. "Without the community and the support of every single person who comes through our doors, we wouldn't be able to do it."
That community support was recognized again this summer, when the Meadowbrook Women's Initiative selected the Theissen Foundation as one of two local charities to receive a grant at its annual Philanthropy Luncheon.
"We vet all of them very well," June Stelboum, the Women’s Initiative’s former vice president of philanthropy, said. "John is just an overall wonderful, happy man who's able to give back."
Stelboum said that selecting recipients for the grants, which come as part of MWI’s annual philanthropic efforts, is never easy because of the many deserving nonprofits across Nassau and Suffolk counties, but Theissen's longstanding commitment to helping children stood out.
As the organization prepares for another school year, Theissen says that one of the most rewarding parts isn't counting backpacks — it's seeing generations of supporters return. "I have kids that came with their parents when they were 5, and now they're bringing their kids," he said. "It's become a tradition."
The Theissen Foundation is accepting donations of new backpacks, school supplies and monetary contributions through Sept. 6. Donations can be dropped off at the foundation's Wantagh center, on Wantagh Avenue, or made online at jtcf.org.
For Theissen, every backpack represents the same goal he set for himself decades ago as a teenage patient: making sure another child feels prepared, confident and, even if only for the first day of school, just like everyone else.
