Bringing Holiday Cheer to Student Parents at Texans Can Academies
Dec 24, 2025
At Texans Can Academies, many of our students are not only working toward a high school diploma—they are also raising children of their own. Balancing classes, work, family responsibilities, and the everyday challenges of life is difficult for any adult, and it is especially demanding for young parents who are still in school.
This holiday season, Texans Can Academies and America Can! Cars for Kids came together to make things a little brighter. Led by our Chief Operating Officer, Amanda Hollins, a special initiative was launched to ensure that student parents across the Texans Can Academies network received holiday gifts for their young children.
The result: hundreds of students who are parents were able to take home Christmas gifts for their little ones, helping bring joy, dignity, and a sense of normalcy during a time of year that can be especially stressful for families with limited resources.
For many of these young parents, the pressure of the holidays can feel heavy. They want to create special memories for their children, but financial constraints and day-to-day survival often come first.
This effort, coordinated by Amanda Hollins and supported by the broader Texans Can and Cars for Kids community, was designed with a simple goal:
Let our student parents know that they are seen, supported, and not alone.
By providing age-appropriate gifts for their children, the program allowed students to experience the joy of giving to their own kids—without having to choose between paying a bill and putting a present under the tree.
This was not a small, one-campus project. The initiative reached students across multiple Texans Can Academies campuses, reflecting our commitment to serving the whole student body, including those often carrying adult responsibilities at a young age.
From organizing lists and gathering needs, to coordinating distribution and ensuring every eligible student was included, this project required planning, teamwork, and a deep understanding of the realities our students face.
Amanda Hollins’ leadership helped bring together staff, partners, and community support to make sure this effort was carried out thoughtfully and respectfully.
Efforts like these are made possible, in large part, thanks to the continued support of America Can! Cars for Kids donors and partners.
When someone donates a vehicle to Cars for Kids, the proceeds go directly to support students at Texans Can Academies—funding not only academics, but also wraparound support that acknowledges students as whole people, many with families depending on them.
That support can look like:
In other words, what may begin as an unused car in a driveway becomes real relief and real hope for a student trying to build a better future for themselves and their children.
While the focus of this initiative was holiday gifts, the impact goes deeper than what was in the bags and boxes.
For student parents, receiving this kind of support sends a powerful message:
That kind of affirmation can be the difference between a student feeling overwhelmed and a student feeling encouraged to keep going.
If you believe in second chances, in education, and in supporting young parents who are working hard to change their trajectory, there are meaningful ways to get involved:
Your support helps ensure that next year—and every year—we can continue to stand beside students not just as learners, but as parents, providers, and future leaders.
To learn more or to support our work, visit www.carsforkids.org/social or call
866-835-5437.Together, we are not only helping students earn a diploma.
We are helping families build brighter futures, one season—and one act of generosity—at a time.
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