Miami-Dade County Commissioner Lynda Bell and her staff distributed 650 school backpacks to financially disadvantaged children who live in her district during her second annual Back-to-School Backpack Giveaway on Saturday, July 28, at South Dade Park.
“I was delighted to host, once again, this annual event where, through the cooperation of the Parks Foundation and the generosity of Academica and Flagler, we were able to provide underprivileged children who reside in my commission district the necessary tools to start the 2012-13 school year just right,” Commissioner Bell said. “And building on last year’s success, we brought together a significant number of community organizations throughout South Dade who offered our residents an education resource fair second to none, as well as plenty of food and activities for the kids to enjoy.”
As a result of the struggling economy, many families have no other alternative but to save their hard-earned paychecks for everyday essentials, having to cut back on their children’s necessary school materials required for them to succeed, once school begins.
For these reasons, Commissioner Bell felt it fitting to bring together the private and public sectors of the community in order to help as many underprivileged kids in her district as possible, get the educational edge they need. The school backpacks were filled with notebooks and folders, rulers, pens, pencils, glue sticks, etc. — and above all else, much love.
