TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — As the back-to-school season kicks off, one local organization is helping ease the financial burden for families.
A Better Community (ABC), in partnership with more than 20 community partners, is hosting the third annual Back-to-School Bash at the Dunbar Pavilion Wednesday night. The event offers free school supplies, backpacks, laptops, shoes, food, and more to families across Tucson.
“We wanted to make sure we help all of our local K through 12 students,” said ABC co-founder Trehon Cockrell-Coleman. “It’s not about your socioeconomic background or school district, we just want the first day of school to be the best day of school.”
Freda Marshall, executive director of the Dunbar Pavilion, said the event reflects the space’s mission to be a safe, welcoming hub for the community. “It’s about helping families that may not have the resources to get everything they need,” she said.
Local business owner Cassandra Dunlap, who runs Da’Lisa Monique Hair Studio, originally had the goal of donating 50 backpacks, but with help from her clients, that number quickly grew. “These backpacks are full of supplies,” she said. “Each one was packed by hand.”
Cockrell-Coleman says their mission is simple: you cannot spell the word community without unity. “You cannot spell community without the word ‘unity.’ That means you and I have to be in it together.”
The event is Wednesday, July 30, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Dunbar Pavilion, 325 W. Second St, and is open to all, with everything provided for free.
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