Back to School Party

So inthe past this corps has always done a Tools for School Backpack Drive - with help from the rotary clubs and people who respond to a Mail Appeal - and it helps kids with the much needed school supplies, in anticipation of that first day of school.

Well, this year, I decided to also partner with the Women of Worth who also do a drive. They take applications - as do we - and put out the barrels at local places, provide volunteers for sorting, and pack the bags individually. They get a little crazy and even sometimes try to coordinate the bags - one teenage girl who likes purple got everything purple!

We had a Back to School Block Party - with a BBQ going on outside. We had a table filled with After School Snacks, jumprope, balls, chalk for Recess Games, andloon a table where they could sign up for thrift-store vouchers for school clothes.

It was very sucessful but I'm disappointed that i wasn't able to plan for it better. I would have had helium balloons out on the street (our corps is in a neighborhood), music from a loudspeaker with some good kids disney songs or something, even a table where we play "Are you smarter than a 5th grader?" I wanted to do teacher's appreciation bags and bus driver survival bags (with Hallmark of course).

Yes, I have lots of ideas. Some happen - some don't. Most of these didn't - but it was still good - you should have seen the kids faces looking through the supplies. There's nothing like a new pack of crayons, new notebooks, sharpened pencils, folders with pictures of Hannah Montana or Spiderman.

Unless it's a smell of a new backpack!