On Saturday, August 9, Communities In Schools of Aurora and the City of Aurora together sponsored the annual Back-To-School Fair held at the John R. Harkness Family Center. Over 2,750 back packs and school supply kits were distributed to local school children that day, and another 1,500 school supply kits were made available to the Alderman’s offices for local
distribution. “The goal of this annual fair now in its 20th year is to give back to the community and to start each child out to be best prepared for their year ahead” stated Theresa Shoemaker, Executive Director of Communities In Schools of Aurora (CIS). It is the mission of CIS to surround students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life!
Families began lining up at 4:30AM in order to access the 35 local social service agencies to learn about the many resources right here in their back yard. Dr. Nelson DDS from Miles of Smiles has been volunteering his services at this annual fair for several years and comes from Peoria each year to provide check-ups and light dental work. The Aurora Public Library and the Visiting Nurses Association provide mobile units for families to gain immediate access to their services and Aunt Martha’s provided free shuttles to and from their Aurora clinic to provide services. Once inside the Harkness Center, each family is asked to visit a minimum of 10 local social service agencies prior to picking out the back pack of their choice and their free school supplies. This year students could select a back pack from red, blue, black, orange or bright green. “The best part of the day is when the children’s faces light up when they get their new back pack”, stated Shoemaker.
Upon departure from the Harkness Center families had an option to select a weeks’ worth of food from the mobile food pantry located two blocks away. This event is an annual joint
venture between the Aurora Area Interfaith Food Pantry (AAIFP), and Communities In Schools where food for 500 families was purchased using proceeds from the annual 2nd2None 5K, a collaborative annual event with resources coming from CIS and the AAIFP. A new resource was added this year in the same parking lot where the food was being distributed. The new resource was free clothing from members of The Word and Worship church from North Aurora, IL.
Hundreds of community volunteers helped in pulling this annual event together and were
greeted by Mayor Tom Weisner and Congressman Bill Foster along with Dr. Michael A. Popp, Superintendent of East Aurora School District 131.
This annual fair began in 1995 when a group of concerned citizens and community activists created the Back-to-School Fair as a positive step forward in response to the shooting deaths of Armando Mendez and Moshe Rogers. Through the years the committee expanded to meet the need and Communities In Schools of Aurora and the City of Aurora spearhead the efforts and provide personnel and financial support to keep the original intent of the fair intact.
Communities In Schools of Aurora is a registered 501 (c) 3 nonprofit agency working with all four school districts in Aurora, IL to do whatever it takes to keep kids in school and to become successful citizens of the community.