Volunteers help get needy kids ready for school

By Ed Ernstes (ernstes@wsbt.com)

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As part of the Back-2-School Unity Festival, volunteers from around Elkhart are helping to provide school supplies, clothing, food, heath screenings and even hair cuts for nearly 3,000 students. (WSBT photo)

By Beth Boehne

Story Created: Aug 13, 2009 at 3:44 PM EST

Story Updated: Aug 17, 2009 at 10:24 AM EST

ELKHART — Volunteers from around Elkhart are working on a huge program to help needy students heading back to school. Their goal is to provide school supplies, clothing, food, heath screenings and even hair cuts for nearly 3,000 students. A small army of dedicated helpers is making it happen.

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Diane Gates knows what it takes to raise kids. She's done it not once, but twice. This Elkhart grandmother is raising her grandson and getting ready for school puts a strain on the budget.

“There are a lot of families that really cannot afford to buy a lot of school supplies,” Gates told WSBT News. “And the kids go to school; they can't learn if they don't have nothing to learn with.”

That's why she calls this weekend's Back-2-School Unity Festival a blessing. All week, volunteers have been preparing to give hundreds of students backpacks, school supplies and clothes.

“Everybody's been great. We've gotten so many volunteers; all the stores are helping out,” said Queen Lovelady, a member of the Back-2-School Elkhart Steering Committee. “I'm pretty sure we're going to have way over 3,000 children coming out. But right now our count for backpacks and school supplies is around 2,500.”

In addition to the school supplies, clothing and backpacks, the students will also be receiving a wide variety of food, snacks and beverages. Another group of volunteers was at work on making that happen all of Thursday morning.

Staff and volunteers sorted and packed up the food at Church Community Services.

“It takes a lot of organization getting things from point A to point B. Sometimes it gets a little complicated with what truck and how many people we need,” said Lorraine Jones of Church Community Services, “and thankfully we've had a lot of groups come out and help us out.”

“Well I just love to come out here, just come and serve the Lord with my hands and whatever he has given me,” added volunteer Emily Tyson.

The group will also sponsor a health fair where students can get free health screenings, immunizations, physicals, dental check-ups and more.

It’s at the Roosevelt Center inside the old Roosevelt school on Indiana Avenue this Saturday. It runs from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. on Saturday, and catch WSBT News there live starting at 7 a.m.

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