Backpacks, bicycles, and cotton candy. This was Back 2 School Night, 2016.
150 students attended B2SN on Sept. 6, 2016, receiving backpacks, school supplies, bicycles, and cotton candy in honor of the start of the school year.
Every person found themselves cheerfully greeted by Trinity's Iris Jackson at the front door, before a team of AmeriCorps volunteers with the Northwest Leadership Foundation distributed bags of carefully collected and sorted school supplies.
Next, families were invited to the parking lot for hot dogs, chips, and cotton candy. Additionally, a collection of community organizations had tables offering resources for our Hilltop Neighbors. The rainless skies allowed all our guests to enjoy each other's company in peace, while kids puttered around on their new bikes and tried on the new helmets.
Pat's Closet was also open, offering it's usual fair of clothes, as well as a collection of school uniforms. And the volunteers at the Neighborhood Health Clinic provided 13 sports physicals and served three other patients throughout the evening.
This year's school supplies were made possible by our partners at Immanuel Presbyterian Church, Puget Sound Christian Center, the Salvation Army, and generous contributions by the good people of Trinity.
Additionally, we'd like to thank the various Community Organizations who offered resources to our neighbors: Community Healthcare, United Healthcare, Food Mania with WSU, Tacoma Housing Authority, and the Bryant PTO.
Finally, none of this would have been possible without our incredible team of volunteers. Special thanks goes to the fantastic School Supply Sorters: Stephanie and Lucia Ayer, Jaquette Easterlin, and the Trinity Youth; our Grill Masters: Paul Duke and Harlan Shoop; Sue Shoop for overseeing the rest of the food; Dre and Gabby Frank, who brought their cotton candy machine; the 15 AmeriCorps who comprise the Urban Leaders in Training with the Northwest Leadership Foundation; and the team of doctors, nurses, and front desk people with the Trinity Health Clinic.
Once again, Trinity is so grateful to all the phenomenal people who made this possible. We look forward to next year and the opportunity to continue these beautiful partnerships.
