This past Saturday, Aug. 3, marked a significant milestone for the Lee College Education Center – South Liberty County (LCEC), which hosted its third annual Back-to-School Bash, witnessing an unprecedented turnout and robust community participation.
The event saw an impressive increase in attendance, growing from 232 individuals last year to 405 this year, and serving 162 families, up from 123 in the previous year. All 300 bags of school supplies were distributed among attendees, ranging from elementary to college students, underscoring the event’s broad reach and impact.
A key component of the bash was the immunization drive conducted by the Texas Department of State Health Services, which, due to high demand, exhausted the available vaccine supplies. To address the surplus need, LCEC sent follow-up emails to 154 families, guiding them toward upcoming immunization opportunities, including a Vaccination Clinic at Dayton ISD on Aug.10.
The bash featured entertainment from Final E Entertainment and refreshments by Gel-U, which provided 405 Italian Ices. Additionally, eight community organizations were on hand to offer crucial information on health and mental health services, including Chambers Health, Health Center of Southeast Texas, Liberty County Long Term Recovery Committee, Liberty Dayton Regional Medical Center, Liberty Health Care Center, Maximus/Texas Health Steps, MET Early Head Start- Liberty, and Texas Child Health Access Through Telemedicine – TCHATT.
Walmart of Liberty County donated $100 in school supplies. Each of the organizations donated a prize for door prizes. Lee College Recruitment and Retention donated five Lee College Backpacks with Lee College SWAG. Lee College’s Office of Guided Pathways and Quality Service donated school supplies, door prizes and two backpacks, and the Lee College Education Center – South Liberty County donated school supplies and door prizes. In all, 30 attendees were drawn for a door prize.
Special recognition is due to Lee College Security Officers Roy Wood and Erick Cortes, who provided invaluable assistance with crowd control and parking. The event also benefited from the generous volunteer support provided by Billi Mustafaa of Lee College Recruitment and Retention, as well as the families of Katie Marek and Laura Lane-Worley.
The LCEC team, comprised of Katie Marek, Clayton Ware, Connor LaBove, and Laura Lane-Worley, extends heartfelt thanks to their five partner ISDs: Anahuac, Dayton, Hardin, Hull-Daisetta, and Liberty. Their support was crucial in making this year’s Back to School Bash a resounding success.