Having a Back-to-School BLAST: Highlights from SC4K’s 2nd Annual Back to School Bash

This article was written by Emily Clausing, SC4K’s Special Projects & Partnerships Intern

On August 1st, Shoes and Clothes for Kids held its second annual Back to School Bash to support the families served through our Direct Service program. This free event, generously co-hosted by Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, served over 350 people with free resources and services, including stuffed backpacks, health screenings, information on community resources, kids’ haircuts, household products, and more. To entertain the children, the Bash featured a bounce house, face painting, popcorn and cotton candy machines, an ice cream truck, a pizza truck, the Collinwood Cobras cheerleading squad, and visits from the Cleveland Monsters’ mascot, Sully, and Cleveland Browns’ mascot, Chomps.  

Fun was a key component of the event, and some of the most exciting discoveries came in the moments shared between the volunteers, the SC4K staff, and the neighbors in attendance. As part of “Team Hair,” I felt the energy “buzzing” as barbers from La Barbaria Institute of Hair and First Draft Picks Barbershop provided a storm of kids with free haircuts to fill them with confidence in preparation for the upcoming school year.  

Volunteers across the parking lot on “Team Backpack” assisted each child in choosing the perfect bag to serve as their constant companion this school year. At the cotton candy and popcorn booths, SC4K staff and volunteers worked together to create delectable treats that attendees toted with them on the dance floor as they grooved to songs curated by DJ Kris Koch.  

Special thanks to the following Community Resource Center and community partners who hosted tables and/or provided resources to attendees:

• Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield
• Bright Beginnings
• City of Cleveland
• Cleveland Browns
• Cleveland Charge
• Cleveland Monsters
• Community Assessment & Treatment Services, Inc.
• Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities
• Cuyahoga County Board of Health
• Digital C
• Educational Opportunity Center at Cuyahoga Community College
• The Diaper Bank of Greater Cleveland
• Family Connections
• First Draft Picks Barbershop
• Greater Cleveland Food Bank
• Greater Cleveland Works/Ohio Means Jobs
• Kids’ Book Bank
• Kris Koch Music
• La Barberia Institute of Hair
• Legal Aid Society of Cleveland
• Magnet
• MetroHealth
• Seeds of Literacy
• St. Vincent Charity Health Campus
• United Way 211

Seeing our volunteers, as well as some familiar faces in the crowd of Direct Service families, interact with one another at the Bash created an energy that all of us at SC4K could only call electric! It was a beautiful day, and things could not have gone better.  

We are grateful to all of the people who made this event possible, including volunteer groups from Lubrizol, CMSD, MetroHealth, Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals, Holy Name Elementary School, New Avenues, several of our regular volunteers, Board Members and Associate Board Members, and of course, the neighbors who attended.

We appreciate you all being a part of this special day, and we hope to be able to bring the event back next year.

View our photos from the 2nd annual Back to School Bash on Flickr!