The first day of school is about more than students’ end of summer break and their return to the daily grind of homework and quizzes. It’s also a day for women across the Richmond region to gather for midmorning prayer as their children return to school. Betsy Akins, founder of the prayer movement First Day, said, “To me, it sends a message to our children and our communities and schools, that we care enough to come together to pray.“