Smiling faces and general tones of happiness filled the room as Heartland Independent Living Center (HILC) hosted two Back to School Fairs supporting the students and families of the Maries County R-1 and R-2 school districts. Children and parents went from booth to booth gathering essential supplies for the upcoming school year.
Over the past two weeks HILC has worked diligently to support families
struggling to buy school supplies. The first fair was held at Vienna’s Knights
of Columbus Hall on July 18 and the second was held at the Bland Christian
Church on July 25. A total of 272
children received new backpacks, Crayola products and much more. In addition,
approximately 20 vendors provided resource information and additional supplies.
“Buying all this stuff would put us deep into debt,” Ginger Moreland,
mother of two, said at the Vienna Fair. “Saving us a lot of money is a blessing
in itself.”
Constance Smith, the counselor at Belle Elementary, came to the event
in Bland and expressed how much Heartland’s efforts were helping her and the
school district this year.
“What’s so great about this is the kids so enjoy coming in the first
day with their own supplies,” Smith said. “If they get them from me it could
take up to a week. It’s just really nice if they can fit in with everyone. I
think the highlight was the kids got to pick the backpack color. It was like
shopping.”
By the end, most children were complaining of the weight of the bag,
as their parents smiled and expressed their gratitude to staff and volunteers.
“We are extremely pleased with the results of our first-ever Back to
School Fairs!” Executive Director Pat Chambers said. “Almost 300 Maries County
students took advantage of the fairs in Vienna and Bland. Our successful events
would not have been possible without the tremendous work of the Heartland staff
and the cooperation and support of a number of outstanding community partners!”
Heartland will continue working with Maries County R-1 and R-2 districts to provide supplies to children who are in need but were unable to
attend.