On Saturday, August 4, the City of Valdosta will be hosting a Back to School Community Block Party. The event is being organized by the Neighborhood Development office as well as many other local organizations that are sponsoring the event.

The Back to School Community Block Party will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Drexel Park. It is a community-wide event, therefore, students from Valdosta City Schools, Lowndes County Schools, and local private schools are invited to attend. Students will be able to get school supplies, haircuts, free health screenings along with other services provided by local businesses and organizations volunteering their time and resources.

“In years past, during the back to school time of year, we would have 10-100 school supply events in our community. You see the same individuals going to many of those events. We realized there were many children who were not being served,” said Vanassa Flucas, Neighborhood Development Director. “We thought it was best to do one back to school community event and maximize our resources.”

School supplies can cost on average to for just one student each school year from grades K through 12. By mid-school year, an additional $35.00 is needed to supply that same student through the remainder of the school year. As a community, we know the struggles that many of our fellow citizens face each year when it is time to send our students back to class. So, in response to the many community-based organizations who yearly present back to school events, we have all come together to not only present one community back to school event for both school districts but for each and every student in Lowndes County! This is a huge undertaking, but we feel more students will be assisted by coming together to coordinate one community event. We are hoping to limit the amount of duplicating supplies and misuse of supplies we tend to see when there is more than one back to school supplies giveaway event.

Supplies are on a first come first serve basis. Any student that was registered before the June 30th deadline is guaranteed supplies. We had at least 800 applications submitted before the deadline. We have continued to take applications and are now up to more than 1000 students. Supplies for those students who registered after the deadline will be delivered to their school’s front office on the first day of school as supplies last. Parents can also register their child at the event.

“It’s important that we start preparing students to be successful in their future. The city is always looking for new ways to support and be involved in the enrichment and education of our students in Valdosta,” said Flucas. “This is just one of the many ways we are being proactive and meeting the needs of our community. The youth are the future of this city and we want them to have all the tools they need to be successful in the classroom.”