As July winds down, a bevy of back-to-school events offer multiple opportunities for public involvement while providing everything from free backpacks and school supplies to car seats and social services to children in need.
Slated first on the calendar is the Youth On Their Own Back To School Challenge, which continues through Oct. 1 and seeks to provide backpacks and school supplies for 1,600 homeless and near-homeless middle school and high school students.
“I am just continually shocked by the numbers of kids that we see. They have so many challenges ... and we have to try to help them through each immediate crisis. If we can alleviate some of the stress they feel when school starts and they are trying to come up with a backpack or graphing calculator and other school supplies, they can concentrate more on what they are supposed to be doing, which is going to school,” said Nicola Hartmann, chief executive officer of Youth On Their Own.
The local nonprofit has been supporting the high school graduation of homeless and unaccompanied youth in Pima County for more than 30 years.
YOTO dropout-prevention efforts include monthly stipends based on grades and regular school attendance; YOTO also provides emotional support and assistance with housing, transportation and other resources for youth who find themselves forced from their homes due to reasons ranging from physical, sexual or substance abuse and violence to issues such as parental incarceration, poverty, abandonment or neglect.
Hartmann said basic items such as school supplies, shoes and clothing are cost-prohibitive for many of the students who receive YOTO services. All contributions, as well as in-kind donations of supplies or gift cards to local grocery and clothing stores, can make school more accessible for the students.
Kidz Expo
For the past four years, Arizona Bilingual News has been on a mission to make supplies available to children through its Annual Kidz Expo and Back to School Event.
Coordinator Alma Gallardo said the event, which provides free backpacks and other school supplies, has grown each year and expects to serve about 3,000 children from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. July 29 at El Pueblo Center, 101 W. Irvington Road.
The expo, which also features music, dancing and raffles, is free and open to everyone.
“We know about the need in the community, and this event is not only for Hispanics, but for everyone. There are many families who have four or five kids and it is hard to buy school supplies for all of them because they are so expensive. We really wanted to do something for the community and we have great partners that support us and make this possible,” Gallardo said.
Law enforcement
Local law enforcement officers and their support groups will be also gifting the community July 29 at two separate events: the Fifth Annual Tucson Police Foundation Back to School Safety & Health Fair from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Park Place mall and the Pima County Sheriff’s Department’s Badges & Backpacks event from 9 a.m. to noon at the Tucson Convention Center.
Badges & Backpacks will gift 2,000 backpacks stuffed with school supplies to school-age children who attend the free event on a first-come, first-served basis, says Deputy Ryan Inglett, a department spokesman.
Now in its third year, the event will also feature a range of county programs, services and resources along with nonprofit organizations.
“There is really nothing better than being able to give back to the community, especially to the kids. Our hope is to help the kids who need backpacks and the families of the kids who can’t afford backpacks. We continually have to educate ourselves in law enforcement, and what better way to show that we take pride in continuing education than to help kids do just that?” said Inglett.
Inglett said the event also seeks to promote a sense of community between law enforcement officers and the public.
“Events like this not only hopefully make us more accessible to people, but show that our ultimate goal is the betterment of the community. First and foremost, we want to be there for the people in the community that we both live in and serve,” he said.
Accessibility is also a goal of the Tucson Police Foundation Back to School Safety & Health Fair, says coordinator Amanda Taylor.
“It is a great way for Tucson police officers to interact with kids and their families so that they can see that the officers are really people who are trying to help those in the community. If kids don’t have school supplies and need help getting them, this is a way for us to help with that,” she said.
Taylor said the event is expected to draw 6,000 people and has become popular for its health and safety component, which includes giveaways of bike helmets and car seats along with information on issues ranging from anti-bullying and internet safety to safe driving for teens.
