Getting Ready for School

A frenzy of back to school events resembling celebrations around Greensboro provided students with an array of classroom supplies, backpacks, bookbags and warm apparel for the winter months. In various venues — recreations centers, bowling alleys, mosques, city parks — volunteers distributed the needed items to eager throngs of children, parents and guardians.

The events incorporated food, entertainment, free haircuts, games and family fun. At the Novant Fieldhouse in the Greensboro Coliseum Complex, one of the most prominent events, Heads Up For Youth community Back to School Rally, assembled an array of family service organizations, as well as tables of bookbags filled with school supplies. In its eighth year, Heads Up arranged a bragging rights basketball game between the Barbers and Guilford County Sheriff Office. This year the Sheriffs prevailed 39-32.

Under bright, hot sun in Center City Park, Jay Mack Designs distributed colorful backpacks, surrounded mostly by food vendors. Over at W.D. Mohammed Islamic Center on Bessemer Avenue, Islamic Relief provided an assortment of boxed school supplies, clothing, health information, career guidance and the required backpack distribution.

More backpack giveaways occurred at All Stars Lanes where local teams of the Underground Bowling Association. satisfied scores of students. At Peeler Recreation Center, the several hundred people worked school supplies lines, in addition to participating in Kids Poetry Basketball activities and entertainment.