On Saturday, Aug. 20, in celebration of a 2022-23 “Back to School Block Party” co-hosted by Bethel AME Church, the Positive Schools Center, and Promise Heights, hundreds of Baltimore community members and Baltimore City Public Schools (BCPSS) families assembled outside the Eutaw-Marshburn Elementary School in Upton/Druid Heights.
It was easy to recognize the collective power of UMB teams and various community groups, as all volunteers wore their organization’s colorful shirts. (Thanks to all who volunteered and helped make this special day happen!)
Our festival welcomed everyone throughout the city from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and included 20-plus community partners who provided essential services and entertainment. As well, BCPSS families were offered 500-plus free school uniforms, 200-plus backpacks, 150-plus bags of food, free school supplies and books, cool beverages, healthy boxed lunches, and DIY snowballs.
Throughout the morning and early afternoon, talented singers, dancers, the Baltimore All-Stars, the Baltimore Urban Inspirational Choir, spoken word artists, and many more community members provided diverse and lively forms of entertainment. Meanwhile, kids of all ages enjoyed various games, a bounce house, a caricature artist making free portraits on demand, and a DJ provided the day’s soundtrack.
This was an important moment to witness the collective power of the newly merged and steadily growing Social Work Community Outreach Service, Positive Schools Center, Family Connections, and Promise Heights initiatives following their 2021 merger. This also was the largest event to date co-led by Oprah Keyes, Promise Heights’ director of strategic partnerships, since she accepted the role in April 2022, and it demonstrated palpable strengths shared by the event’s many important new and longstanding community partners.
Soon afterward, the participating partners and community members determined that the day was so successful that it will become the First Annual Back-to-School event — please expect more to come!
Given this was the first large event of its kind since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, a community partner poignantly expressed their gratitude by saying, “This is what we needed!”
See a bit more of this special gathering via the WBAL TV feature here:
www.wbaltv.com/article/back-to-school-baltimore-events-supplies/40947729#