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  Home Page » Features » Family » Back To School Fair Supplied Students With Goods To Return To Class

Back to School Fair supplied students with goods to return to class

by Jenny McKenzie
La Plata Family Centers Coalition It is that time of year again when students must begin gearing up for the start of another school year. Families rush to gather the long list of supplies - highlighters for eighth-graders, graphing calculators for seniors, eight packs of pencils for kindergartners - the number of required items seems to grow every year.

For many students, this is an exciting time of year when they will get to inspect the shelves, picking out shiny new notebooks, fresh packs of colored pencils and a dazzling backpack to carry on the first day of school. For others, the end of summer brings a sense of anxiety at having to scrape together enough resources to send children to school with not only that long list of supplies, but also new clothes and shoes to match their peers.

Many families with limited resources find this time of year incredibly stressful, and as these difficult economic times continue, the number of families struggling to just get by seems to grow.

So, how does that affect our local students? Studies have shown that self-confidence significantly affects students' capacity to learn and succeed in school. So, while that brand-new backpack may not seem like an essential item for returning to school, it actually can have a profound effect on students as they return to a competitive environment, where "who has what" actually can determine "who does well."

For 11 years, The Family Center of Durango has partnered with local businesses, schools, organizations and individuals to host an annual Back to School Fair for students with limited resources. This year, all students entering kindergarten through eighth grade in Durango, Bayfield and Ignacio schools who participate in the free or reduced lunch program received an invitation to attend the event.

On Aug. 8, more than 400 students came to Christ the King Church to pick out their new backpack and fill it with pencils, paper, scissors, glue, crayons, markers, colored pencils, rulers, composition books, folders, and a brand new toothbrush and toothpaste.

Thanks to donations from BP America, La Plata Electric Association, Durango Foundation for Educational Excellence, Alpine Bank, The Wells Group, Rotary Club of Durango Daybreak, local dentists and many generous individuals, each of those students will carry his or her head high as he or she enters another school year.

Here at the Family Center, our motto is: Families Helping Families. This year's Back to School Fair was a great success and a shining example of the way our community really can pull together to support one another.

On behalf of the hundreds of local families served at the 11th Annual Back to School Fair, thank you La Plata County for your generosity and your interest in supporting the community.

Jenny McKenzie is a coordinator for Family Support and Latino Outreach for La Plata Family Centers Coalition.