With the final days of summer in sight, parents are once again faced with the annual back-to-school rush for supplies and clothing.
An upcoming community back-to-school event will help prepare kids and parents for another year of learning.
The Back to School Party will be held from noon to 4 pm on Saturday, August 20 at the Earl Scruggs Center at 103 S. Lafayette St. in Shelby.
There will be games and prizes, speakers, free school supplies, hygiene items, clothes and food.
Sade Cannon, who is organizing the Back to School Bash, said her purpose for hosting the event is twofold.
I wanted to get the kids ready and excited to go back to school and also get them involved in more recreational activities and less social media.
“Kids need more recreational ideas and less technology,” he said.
He plans to have community members, including local soccer coaches, talk to kids about sports and mental health, as well as provide school supplies.
“We have games. We have an ice cream. We have free food,” Cannon said. “We have bounce houses, music, a photo booth. Anything you can think of. We’ll have a Tik Tok area that will be kid-friendly.”
Among those attending the event are Dr. Tony George, former NFL player for the non-profit organization Trinity X Farmacy and Shelby football coaches and trainers.
The professional soccer player will return to the community and talk to kids about soccer, safety and other topics.
Cannon said George will attend the back-to-school party from 2 to 4 p.m
“There’s more to football than just football, there’s grades and SATs,” Cannon said.
George will also educate kids about being aware of traumatic brain injuries, a common occurrence in high school and college football players.
There will be football sessions with a financial donation. Registration is required before August 15.
Back to school will be the kick-off event for future events, and Cannon said they are raising funds to create a community center for children and teens in Cleveland County.
“We have programs that we will be implementing in different communities across the state. Shelby is the first event and program center that we will be working on,” he said.
He said this will be the first of many events, which he plans to host monthly, that will take place with the help of NFL players and community sponsors.
“We’re going to start having monthly events to bring kids together in a safe environment,” Cannon said.
The intent is to keep the kids busy and out of trouble.
“A lot of our young people don’t have the opportunity to be kids safely, and this is the environment where they can be safe and have fun,” he said.
Cannon said she is still accepting donations for the event and welcomes any monetary donations, school supplies, hygiene items and new or used clothing and shoes.
“I want people to contribute more to our community, if we invest more in our community and our children we will have a better society,” he said.
For more information about the event or to donate, be a vendor or sponsor, contact Sade Cannon at 803-675-2518.
