Houston Mayor's Back 2 School Fest

The City of Houston has a program to help economically damaged students pay for their school supplies and much of it is paid for by private companies. It is called The Mayor’s Back 2 School Fest. The Mayor’s Back 2 School Fest is an excellent program.

The event is paid for by the Shell Oil Company, Kroger, Undies for Everyone, FirstService Residential, Summit Dental Center, Your Logo, CenterPoint Energy, Comcast, Fiesta, Texas Barber Colleges & Hairstyling Schools, Walgreens and Jetco. Organizations within The City of Houston who help manage the event are the 311 Service Center, the Bureau of Animal Regulation and Care, Administration & Regulatory Affairs; Department of Health and Human Services; Houston Fire Department; Houston Parks & Recreation Department; Houston Police Department; Houston Public Library, Municipal Courts Department; Office of Emergency Management; Public Works and Engineering Department; and Solid Waste Management Department.

The event is hosted by and takes place on The University of Houston Campus.

 Organizers say they also believe holding the event on The University of Houston Campus encourages students to want to attend college. The event also provides free health services, including immunizations, dental, vision and glucose screenings and referrals for hearing tests. Interactive displays and demonstrations and booths informed families about crime prevention, hurricane preparedness and fire safety.  In addition, parents had the opportunity to visit with City, UH and community agency representatives to learn about services and resources available for their families throughout the year. Parents and students were treated to a variety of useful giveaways.  Among the most exciting giveaways were door prizes consisting of two-ticket vouchers for the Houston Cougars football team's first home game on September 5 at TDECU Stadium donated by the Houston Athletics Department and issued to 500 families. For the students, the highlight of the day was their last stop where they received backpacks filled with an assortment of school supplies, haircut vouchers, underwear and other amenities. Participation in the fest was by advance registration only.  Families who were not able to pre-register to participate in the event are advised to call the 2-1-1 United Way Helpline for referrals to community agencies offering back-to-school supplies and resources. The Mayor’s Back 2 School Fest is an initiative of the Department of Neighborhoods sponsored in partnership with the Mayor’s Office of Special Events. 

I am very happy with the program and am glad that the city has worked with private companies to make it cheap for the taxpayer.