NAACP free clinic sponsors ‘Back-to-School Fair’ July 23
The third-annual Back-to-School Fair will be held from 1-4 p.m. Sunday, July 23, at the Scarboro Community Center Gymnasium, 148 Carver Ave.
The Free Clinic will provide back-to-school physicals.
The fair will also include representatives from Robertsville and Jefferson middle schools, Oak Ridge High School, the elementary schools, and Oak Ridge Preschool, along with the district’s Family Resource personnel.
A sign-in sheet for folks when they enter the gymnasium will make them eligible for free gift cards throughout the event.
The first 10 parents who come with their children will receive a gift card. Note that one must be present to receive these gift cards.
A free hot-dog meal will also be available for everyone, as well as schools supplies and many other giveaways.
The Oak Ridge/Anderson County NAACP will have both membership and voter registration booths, and booths of many other groups will include Beyond the Barr Dance Collective; Men of Tomorrow Mentoring; Scarboro Community Alumni Association; Children’s Museum; Girls, Inc.; Roane State Community College; Omega Psi Phi Fraternity; and even the National Park Service. Crafts, including STEM crafts from ORAU, will be provided.
Additional booths will include those of the Oak Ridge Schools Robotic Demonstration; Oak Ridge Associated Universities STEM Demonstration; and for parents to sign up for Oak Ridge School Free Meals.
The Oak Ridge Police Department will also have a booth and will be giving away free backpacks. In-kind donations have been provided by John Wallace of J&M’s Butcher Shop and Robin Castleberry, Doubletree Hotel, Oak Ridge.
So, come and get “tooled up” for the 2023-24 school year.
After the opening presentations, parents will be encouraged to go from booth-to-booth, fellowship with school officials, meet new teachers, and discuss opportunities for the new school year.
The Back-to-School Fair was initially suggested by parents to engage the school officials more and invite them to the community, and as a result, successful events have been held in the previous two years.
The NAACP Education Committee’s mission is to make it possible that each child in Oak Ridge has equal access to its available educational opportunities so that each student, and assisting parent, has the tools to prepare and direct them towards successful careers.
Copies of a recently updated fact sheet, previously emailed to area churches, parents, and organizations as a resource tool to determine a child’s career path, will be made available.
The Back-to-School Fair is open to all Oak Ridge parents and students.