by Scott McLeod
Granger Community School Coordinator
Early Saturday morning, long before the sun came up, Granger Elementary was alive with action. At first, it was just Granger staff, dedicated volunteers, and the incredibly generous sponsors running around trying to prepare the day’s events. By 6:30 a.m., there was a line of over 100 families, all waiting for the event to begin. And by 10:00 a.m., over 1000 children and parents had streamed through Granger Elementary School, gearing up for the 2013-2014 school year. Now THAT is what I call a Back to School Bonanza!
The event, generously sponsored by Molina Healthcare, was put on to help Granger students and families start the year off right. Molina donated brand new backpacks filled with school supplies, beautiful books for children of all ages, and stylish shoes in the color and style of their choosing. Not only that, but they invited partners from many different organizations to come and help out. Kids could get a brand new haircut from Sports Cuts, a free well-child exam from Utah Partners for Health’s mobile health clinic, get up to date on their immunizations free of charge from Community Nursing services, and eye exams from Eye Care for Kids for those in need of glasses.
The party was just as big outside! The place was bumping with loud and energetic Zumba classes, taught by United Way of Salt Lake’s very own Courtney Archer! Super Savers donated an incredible amount of fruit and water to all the early risers who missed breakfast. Wal-Mart was helping families with additional supplies. Washington Federal was helping children enroll in save-at-school bank accounts. And, Granger faculty and staff were getting kids excited for the new year with demonstrations of their upcoming curriculum. To top it all off, Fox13 did live interviews with Big Buddha, Telemundo was there to capture the action, and ABC4 showed up to make sure they didn’t miss out!
All in all, in was an amazing way to start the year. As a community school, Granger’s main goal is to help students achieve an incredible education by addressing the needs of our children and families. This means helping out with things like school supplies, but it also means creating a community environment and building relationships where families are empowered to thrive. The Granger Back to School Bonanza was the perfect way to begin this process, and I am deeply grateful to the partners, volunteers, businesses, and organizations who helped make it possible. Thanks again to all of you!!!!
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