Free bookbags, a bounce house, and a marching band created a festive atmosphere as the School of Social Work’s Center for Restorative Change helped families start the school year on the right foot.
Free bookbags, a bounce house, and a marching band created a festive atmosphere Saturday, Aug. 16, at the Fourth Annual Back-to-School Bash, helping Baltimore families start a new school year on the right foot.
Smiling faces of children and parents beamed outside of Booker T. Washington Middle School for the Arts and Renaissance Academy in the Madison Park and Upton neighborhoods, where the University of Maryland School of Social Work Center for Restorative Change (UMSSW CRC), Bethel AME Church, and partners distributed nearly anything a child will need for their first day of school and beyond.
Baltimore’s DJ Shaq spun the turntable to get the dancing going before the Elevation Marching Unit performed to help close out the day.
“We're having a good time. We're dancing together like, how often do you get to dance with the people that you work with, whether those are your actual coworkers or community member?” said Oprah Keyes, MSW, LCSW-C, director of strategic partnerships for Promise Heights at the UMSSW CRC.
The host schools, Booker T. Washington Middle/Renaissance Academy, are partner schools in the Promise Heights, Positive Schools Center and The Next Generation Scholars of Maryland programs in Upton/Druid Heights. It’s part of a larger scope of work that provides a pipeline for families and their children from cradle to career with the help of UMSSW faculty and staff.