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On Saturday, August 1, the El Valle Community Center hosted a Back to School Giveaway, providing over 100 backpacks filled with school supplies to students in the Valley. By 2:00 p.m., over 60 cars had come through the drive-up event and well over 100 backpacks had been given out to children from Kindergarten to high school level. Each vehicle stopped first at a Census table where state Census workers provided guidance and information about the importance of completing Census forms. This year, backpacks included notebooks, pens and pencils, scissors and markers, folders and pencil bags, with younger students receiving crayons and older students getting flash drives. Ear buds and other small gifts were also included in the packs. Thanks to generous donations from the Las Vegas Literacy Council and the 100% Community team, each student also received at least two free books in their packs. The extraordinary generosity of these and other community organizations made this great giveaway possible and gave over 100 students a good positive and supportive start to a challenging school year ahead. School supplies distribution for El Valle students The El Valle Community Center and Villanueva Library will conduct a drive-through pick-up distribution of backpacks and school supplies for El Valle students this Saturday, August 1, from 10-3 p.m. Each backpack contains a full complement of supplies for the school year, as well as books and small prizes. Generous donations from local partners and entities this year have allowed the Center to continue to provide this service to students in the area, despite the challenges of the economic moment. This effort conveys a strong message of community support for the education of our children that is especially important to communicate as the school year ahead may again feel uncertain and unstable for many young learners. The Center is grateful to the many partners and donors whose contributions have made this effort possible. Our special thanks to Dead Horse Ranch, 100% Community and its partners, Las Vegas Kiwanis, Walmart, the Villanueva Library, the Las Vegas Literacy Council, the Las Vegas New Mexico Community Foundation, the Santa Fe Community Foundation, and our anonymous donor, without whom this event could not have occurred. Time to complete the census There is still time to complete the 2020 Census! With cuts to local budgets and economic repercussions across the country, numbers reported to the Census will be more important than ever in the coming years. Census counts will determine funding for supplemental food programs, early childhood education, school services, and rural health clinics for the NEXT 10 YEARS! Please complete the Census and encourage those around you to do the same. The El Valle Community Center will have Census workers available at an outside table to assist with form completion and answer questions this Saturday, August 1st, between 10 and 3. If you have any questions or would like to know more about how the information that is collected by the Census is used, please visit us this Saturday and speak to a Census worker. |
