Margaret Bagley, chief executive officer of Communities in Schools of Palm Beach County (CIS), has announced that the organization will host a Back to School Extravaganza to provide free school supplies for students who live in the communities of Royal Palm Beach and Wellington.
The free event will take place Sunday, Aug. 7, from 1 to 4 p.m. in the Center Court of the original Wellington Mall, located at 12794 W. Forest Hill Blvd.
“CIS is committed to keeping students in school and enabling them to successfully learn and prepare for life, so our goal for this event is to give a free backpack filled with back-to-school necessities to every local student who shows up,” Bagley said.
She offered special thanks to former Palm Beach County Commissioner Jess Santamaria for donating the use of the space to host the nonprofit organization’s first Back to School Extravaganza. The three-hour event will conclude with a big raffle drawing in which parents or guardians accompanying their children can also win special gifts.
Anyone wishing to make a tax-deductible cash contribution ($25 will fill a backpack; $50 will cover both a backpack and school supplies), or to donate gift certificates for products or services, can do so by calling event chair Renatta Espinoza at (561) 471-9681.
Since 1984, CIS has been “surrounding students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life.” In the 2014-15 school year, for example, CIS served 1,768 students in five different schools: the Roosevelt Leadership Academy for Young Men, John F. Kennedy Middle School, the Gold Coast Academy, the Riviera Beach Preparatory & Achievement Academy and Pahokee High School.
In that year alone, CIS outcomes included a zero dropout rate, an 85 percent promotion rate and an 89 percent graduation rate — based on a limited pool of 193 students served. For more information about Communities in Schools of Palm Beach County, call (561) 471-9681 or visit www.cispbc.org.
