Back to School Resource Fair Aims to Break Down Barriers
RIVERSIDE – The Riverside County Office of Education (RCOE) will host a Back-to-School Resource Fair at the Harvest Christian Fellowship Church (6115 Arlington Drive, Riverside, CA 92504) from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Friday, August 5, 2022. Students who attend the fair will receive new shoes, backpacks with school supplies, haircuts, physicals, eye exams, dental care, and more.
The Back-to-School Resource Fair intends to provide our youth who are homeless, at risk of homelessness, or in foster care, with everything they need to be ready for the first day of school by removing the barriers often caused by their situation.
“The first day of school is always an exciting and sometimes challenging experience for our young students. Having the right school supplies and a sense of physical wellness can help build confidence for students and set a positive tone for the rest of the school year,” said Riverside County Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Edwin Gomez. “We are grateful for all of our partners that have made donations to make this event successful. These supplies and services will help give our students the confidence to walk onto campus with higher levels of self-esteem and readiness to learn this school year.”
Soles4Shoes, a global non-profit dedicated to fighting the impact and perpetuation of poverty, has donated 700 backpacks with supplies, 1,000 pairs of shoes, and 2,000 pairs of socks. Soles4Shoes volunteers will be on-site in their pop-up "shoe store" working toward their goal of providing every homeless child with a new pair of shoes.
In addition to Soles4Souls, donations have been received from Sam’s Club, Assistance League of Riverside, Harvest Church, Assembly Member Sabrina Cervantes, Santa Claus Inc., and Ross Dress for Less.
Services will be provided by practitioners from Riverside Community Hospital, Healing California, GeriSmiles, UC Irvine’s Mobile Vision Clinic, Vision2Learn, WesternU Health Eye Institute, RCOE’s School of Career Education Dental Assistant Program, cosmetology students from the Professional Institute of Beauty, and the Advance Beauty Techs Academy. In addition, more than 35 community agencies will be on hand to provide information to families and students.
For more information, contact the Foster Youth Services Coordinating Program (FYSCP) Unit at the Riverside County Office of Education at (951) 826-4700 or FYSCP@rcoe.us.
UPDATE:
Hear from Riverside County Superintendent of Schools, Edwin Gomez, Ed.D., event organizers, and volunteers who made this event possible, and catch highlights from the day in our video coverage: