Mothers In Action will be hosting their 17th Annual Back to School Health & Family Festival on Saturday, August 8 from 10am to 3pm at the Los Angeles Sports Arena 3939 S. Figueroa Street. The annual event will provide free health screenings, immunizations (must have immunization records), back to school supplies, free haircuts, uniforms and valuable community resource information for children ages 5 to 15 years old as they prepare to head back to school.
Tracy Mitchell, president of Mothers in Action stated in a statement: “In keeping with our mission to improve the quality of life for the underserved children of our community, Mothers In Action hosts our Annual Back to School Health fair to provide our children with the tools they need to have a successful school year. Our late President, Brenda Marsh-Mitchell, recognized the fact that kids fail because they cannot hear, they fail because they can not see, they fail because they have oral pain or they fail because their families do not have the money or resources to buy them the school supplies they need to get their work done. Consequently, she started this back to school health fair 17 years ago so Mothers In Action could mobilize the resources, agencies, corporations and individuals in our community to provide health screenings to make sure they are in good health, needed immunizations, free back to school supplies, free haircuts, uniforms and valuable resource information for the school aged children that attend while supplies last. This event was near and dear to Brenda’s heart and it is actually the last community service event she put on for Mothers In Action before her untimely passing in August of 2014.”
“The Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program encourages the community to attend the 17th Annual Mothers in Action Back to School Health Fair. This is a chance for parents to learn how to give their child the best start in school by preventing lead poisoning,” said Angie Toyota, Director of the Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program.
Once again, Mothers In Action will be distributing uniforms at their Back to School Festival for students who’s school require them as a part of their dress code. Barber Tim will provide free haircuts and his wife will being treating some of the young ladies to manicures. Fleet Services will be providing onsite free bike inspections and repairs, and they will also conduct bike raffles. Mint Gold clothing line will be raffling off bags loaded with school supplies. Explorer 1 Ambulance and LAFD S.E.R.T. will provide C.P.R. demonstrations.
Chair of the back-to-school event is once again, Fabian Wesson. Co-chairs include Senator Isadore Hall, Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer, Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, Council President Herb Wesson, Councilmember Curren Price, School Board Member District 1 George McKenna and Senior Pastor Kelvin Sauls of Holman United Methodist Church.
Over the past 17 years, Mothers in Action has provided much needed school supplies and valuable resource information to needy children in Los Angeles’ poorest communities. Students have been able to not only receive backpacks, notebooks and other vital materials, but Mothers in Action has also provided health care screenings, optical exams and other needed medical services to ensure that every child is well prepared for the upcoming school year.
“Children are the most precious and important people in our lives. I started Kids Are 1st to educate parents on how to keep children and teens safe in motor vehicles, find missing and lost children through our ID program and make teens aware of the dangers of distracted driving,” said Marilyn Weinger, President & Co-Founder of Kids Are 1st.
The offices of Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer and HPP Care will donate backpacks to the event. 102.3FM Radio Free KJLH, The Los Angeles Sentinel Newspaper and L.A. Watt Times are the media partners for the event. Free food, fresh produce and entertainment will be available for all in attendance while supplies last.
The success of this event has only been made possible because of the continuous support, dedication and love for the community displayed by Mothers In Action’s chair, co-chairs mentioned above, membership, host of volunteers, individual donors and sponsors like Los Angeles Sentinel, LA Watts Times, The Bakewell Company, Brotherhood Crusade, The Cochran Firm, 9th District of City of Los Angeles (Councilmember Curren Price) & 10th District of City of Los Angeles (Council President Herb Wesson), AFSCME 36, Anthem Blue Cross, Augustus Hawkins Football Team, Bank of America, Cedar Sinai’s Coach for Kids, Charles Drew University’s Dr. Ernie Smith, Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention, The Children’s Dental Center, City of Refuge, Clarence Avant of Interior Music, Explorer -1 Ambulance, Fleet Services, Grace Hopper S.T.E.M. Academy, Holman United Methodist Church, H.P.P. Cares, Kaiser, Khocolate Keepsakes, Kids Are 1st, LA Sanitation, Lil Locks, Mablean Ephriam Foundation, Mint Gold, Molina Healthcare, Mother’s Nutritional, Nestle Waters, P.A.V.A., Radio Free KJLH, RFP Insurance, 7-Eleven, Sigma Gamma Rho, SEIU ULTCW, Special Service for Group Trauma Center, St. John Mobile Unit, State Farm, Watts Health Care Corp, What the Funnel?, Volunteers of America and Y.W.C.A and McDonalds.
For more information contact Mothers in Action at (323) 290-0456 or email [email protected].
