The 17th Annual Back to School: Health & Family Festival will be back to make sure youth are ready for another semester.
It’s still July and summer vacation is in full swing but before the kids head back to school, you might want to check Mothers In Action’s 17th Annual Back to School: Health & Family Festival (BSHFF) at the L.A. Sports Arena on Saturday, August 8, 10am-3pm.
Born from the minds of Mothers in Action’s founder, Brenda Marsh Mitchell and former state senator and assemblyman, Rod Wright, BSHFF was created for youth in the surrounding communities. Many children don’t perform well in school due to poor health conditions and lack of healthcare. The annual fair is a direct response to that issue.
The festival has featured a number of booths including health screenings, dental hygiene, free immunizations, uniforms, haircuts and LAUSD mandatory pertussis vaccine, a.k.a. Whooping Cough.
Medical groups such as the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services Hubert H. Humphrey Comprehensive Health Center (HHCHC), Cedars-Sinai Medical Center (CSMC) and Explorer One Ambulance and Medical Services (EOAMS) have provided their services and information at past festivals.
This year is important because vaccinations for school children is mandatory and many in the community have many questions as to what they need to do. BSHFF will have healthcare professionals to answer questions and address concerns.
Immunization records are critical, so please remember to bring them with you to the festival.
The festival, which has attracted more than 60,000 people in the past, is sponsored by many organizations including: Bank of America, The Cochran Firm Los Angeles, Crenshaw Community Health Center and many more. This year’s 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 Pastor Kelvin Sauls of Holman United Methodist Church. Fabian Wesson will serve as festival chair.
Past vendors for BSHFF have included the Cochran Firm of California, One Church in Christ, Children’s Dental Center, Black Hypertension Project, Los Angeles Professional Managers, Explorer One Ambulance and Medical Services, Fame Assistance Corp/Body & Soul-Let’s Move, L.A. Sentinel & Watts Times and many others.
Mothers in Action is a nonprofit 501 (c) (3) organization founded by the late Johnnie Tillman, Lillian Mobley, Nola Carter, Gwen Green, Mary Henry, Danny J. Bakewell Sr. and Brenda Marsh-Mitchell. MIA is a result of the 1992 civil unrest and aims to bring the community together. Made up of mothers, they aim to help the youth, elderly and less fortunate residents of the community.
