HARKER HEIGHTS – The Armed Services YMCA in Harker Heights hosted its fourth Healthy Kids Back to School Day on Saturday, and organizers said they hoped to break their previous attendance record.
Armed Services YMCA-Killeen Marketing Director Lillian Bruner said the number of people who showed up a year ago was 3,000 parents and children.
Bruner said, “It’s hard to accurately measure who comes and goes throughout the day, but we know it exceeded that number last year.”
The event focused on students from kindergarten to secondary school. The four-hour event was open to the public.
“A total of 25 vendors filled the gym inside and were joined outside by inflatable bounce houses, vehicles from the US Army, the Harker Heights Fire Department and the Harker Heights Police Department, free snow cones from Kona Ice and a disc jockey,” Bruner said.
The vendors inside highlighted both the Armed Services YMCA programs and a wealth of resources and services throughout the community.
As the kids entered the gym, they were handed a bingo card that listed all the vendors. As the students visited each booth, the vendors marked the card indicating that they had visited the vendor’s location.
Bruner said, “When the kids finished visiting all the vendors, they took their card and gave it to the workers at the AUSA table and received a free backpack and t-shirt.
“A great number of vendors offered trinkets and prizes of all kinds, so it’s quite a sight to see them take home their goodie bag, backpack and new t-shirt.”
Bruner said her first day on the job as marketing director with the Armed Services YMCA was at Kids Day last year. He has come full circle and been here a year on July 24th.
“I’m celebrating my first birthday this weekend,” Bruner said.
