It’s not every day that Boys & Girls Clubs of the Austin Area’s Sheth Family Campus has a line wrapped around the building. On an average day, our main campus welcomes hundreds of kids and teens ready to learn and explore. On Friday, August 12th BGCAA hosted the first Back-to-School Bash and this was no average day! BGCAA served over 900 Club families and members of our community in the two and a half hours our doors were open for the event.

This event sought to prepare our Club Kids, families, and our community for the school year.

For some, this preparation is school supplies. Backpacks were stuffed to the brim with binders, folders, notebooks, pens, pencils- you name it. Parents, Grandparents, and caring adults walked away with healthy food and snacks for the whole family. Thanks to a generous donation from Undies for Everyone and additional partners, underwear and sanitary products were available for anyone who needed them.

In addition to supplies, BGCAA partnered with BeVelle Barber School to provide free haircuts to give kids a boost of confidence for the first school year back in three years. Panda Express prepared 400 Panda meals to feed the families that came to our event. These meals paired well with the hotdogs Mr. Fern grilled up all day. We celebrated with DJ Lil Mondo to ring in the new schoolyear with a fun playlist to keep the line moving and the smiles coming.

The back-to-school season is not all fun and games. This event was born out of the need for free or affordable options to prepare families for the school year. The Texas Comptroller reports that inflation is up 9.9% in Texas as compared to last year. Families need critical resources now more than ever. BGCAA is devoted to supplying our community with holistic support. Each success story is a win for us all. This makes the over $40,000 in in-kind donations even more impressive. In the moments that our community needs us the most, BGCAA’s amazing supporters have rallied together to give every child Great Futures.

Check out the segment KXAN featured on this historic BGCAA event!

“Families are struggling just because of the higher costs. Together with some of our corporate partners and community partners we put together this back-to-school bash,” said Gordon Butler, Chief Executive Officer of BGCAA.

Below is the list of partners we would like to recognize for their contributions to this event. Thank you for supporting the mission of Boys & Girls Clubs of the Austin Area. Support at all levels empowers youth and supplies Austin’s future leaders with the tools for success.

Pappa’s Restaurants

Plucker’s

Staples

Stitch Fix

Undies for Everyone

Whataburger

Workforce Solutions Capital Area

Zenbusiness