The Back to School Bonanza held in Chillicothe last month provided much needed school supplies to children in Livingston County. Click to hear KMZU’s Kristie Cross talk to University of Missouri Human Development and Family Studies Specialist Jessica Trussell:
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“We were able to have over 500 parents and children come through the event and we gave out 300 backpacks that day and we’ve given out about 27 since then,”said Trussell,” We had a big turnout for both exhibitors and participants. So, it’s exciting. It’s exciting to see.”
The backpacks were filled with supplies for the upcoming school year. Trussell says more than 50 volunteers worked to make the event possible and that plans are already underway for next year’s event.
Press Release:
On July 31st, the Obesity Prevention Project Committee held the fourth Back to School Bonanza in Chillicothe. This year, the committee was able to provide free backpacks and school supplies to 300 Livingston County children during the event and another 27 backpacks since the event. Jessica Trussell, University of Missouri Extension Specialist and planning team member stated, “It is wonderful to see how the event continues to grow and change. Families were very complimentary of how smoothly the event ran this year and one mother told me after the event that it made a huge dent in their school supply list. This is exciting because that is one of the goals for the event.” There were 224 adults and 310 children who participated in the event and each family was able to receive a variety of information ranging from service groups to health care. There were 19 exhibitors including the emergency personnel with vehicles from the Sheriff’s Department, Police Department, and Chillicothe Emergency Services who were present to visit with the children and parents in attendance. There were several new booths this year including Farm Safety by University of Missouri Extension, a Height & Weight Check by Livingston County Health Center and Hedrick Medical Center, and the North Missouri Center for Youth & Families. A very special thank you to all the planning team members, exhibitors, and the individuals, businesses and groups who made donations to make this event possible. There were over 50 individuals and volunteers working at the various stations the day of the event and many others worked to make sure the event was a success in the months leading up to the event.
Donors included: Livingston County Health Center, University of Missouri Extension, Salvation Army, Jerry Litton Family Memorial Foundation, Hedrick Medical Center, YMCA, Chillicothe Constitution Tribune, Barnes Baker Motors, Beta Sigma Phi Delta Lambda, Chillicothe Animal Hospital, Inc., Chillicothe Elks Lodge #656, Chillicothe Ford-Lincoln-Mercury, Chillicothe Kiwanis Club, Chillicothe Rotary Club, Chillicothe Woman Agri-Leaders, Chuck’s Pest Control, Cliff & Diane McKiddy, Community Options, Diamond Vogel Paints, Joe Neptune-Farm Bureau Insurance, Farmers’ Electric Cooperative, Fellhoelter Electric, ForSight Eyecare, Golden Circle Sunday School Class, Hutchinson & Co, Dr. Kavanaugh, DDS, Lockridge, Constant & Conrad, CPAs, Neal Family Dentistry, Premier Eyecare Associates, Sensenich Jeweler, Sewell Agency, Inc., Chris Trout-State Farm Insurance, Tria Sorosis Club, Walgreens, and Woodworth Farms.
Exhibitors included: Chillicothe Emergency Services, Chillicothe Police Department, Cornerstone Kidstown After School Club, Livingston County Sherriff’s Department, Livingston County Health Center, Livingston County Food Pantry, MU Extension 4-H, MU Extension Farm Safety, MU Extension Nutrition, McCoy & Sample Dental Clinic, Missouri Department of Conservation, North Central Missouri Mental Health Center, North Missouri Center for Youth & Families, Northwest Health Services, Premier EyeCare, Second Harvest , United Way 211, and YMCA.
