Shawntaya Dell of Aurora has three children who are going back to school in a few days and said that when it comes to getting school supplies having a little help offsetting some of the cost is a good thing.
“This event is going to help with getting the school supplies and stuff – it’s definitely some extra help,” Dell said as she and hundreds gathered in Wilder Park in Aurora Sunday afternoon for the annual Aurora Community Back to School Bash. “I know they had to move this from another location, but we’re by the river and it’s pretty nice. I know I’m going to be here awhile looking at the lines.”
The back-to-school event was sponsored by Aurora Ald. Javier Banuelos, 7th Ward; the African American Men of Unity; and the Community Center of Hometown. It was originally set to run at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park ar 42 N. Farnsworth Ave. in Aurora, but due to soggy conditions there was moved to Wilder Park.
The 3½-hour event included music, bounce houses, community resource tables, free food, games and most importantly, school supplies.
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Officials said the annual event was launched many years ago by the late Scheketa Hart-Burns, longtime City Council member for the 7th Ward, and has since come under the direction of Banuelos and others.
Banuelos said the event is always popular.
“We had a big crowd last year, but this one is also big,” he said on Sunday. “We’ve always had this at MLK Park and I’m guessing it dates back about 20 years. Unfortunately, this year given how soggy the ground was at our usually site, we had to pivot. We decided about midday on Saturday to change locations. We figured the vendors wouldn’t be able to set up on the ground there but people certainly have found us. We posted it on social media.”
Banuelos said getting families help with school supplies is essential.
“People have come to rely on this and it’s something great for the community. Not everybody has the ability to get supplies and we’re also able to give something back,” he said. “A lot of the donations came from the East Aurora School District and I did a quick sponsorship to pay for some of this. Main Baptist Church in Ward 7 also helped out.”
Lines for both food and school supplies were long within the first hour of the event’s opening, which gave many like Ivan Ribas of Aurora time to reflect on the change of venue as well as the importance of the bash.
“I heard on social media that this wasn’t going to be in our neighborhood but this might be a blessing in disguise. We have a good location and they made it work,” he said. “These events help people. There are families here and there that can’t get that extra notebook or whatever or don’t have the means. Book bags these days are almost $80 and that’s something many people can’t afford.”
“Families have come to depend on this,” Ribas added. “It all certainly makes a difference.”
Kirsy Velasquez brought her son Kairos Ortiz, 10, along and said the event was going to help her family “as this is a better way to get the supplies.”
“I think more families are depending on this,” she said. “For me, I need the supplies and the backpacks and hopefully not need to buy anything. I am a single mom and have two children – high school and a younger one. The younger one needs more things.”
David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.