A dozen community organizations have joined forces to host the Citywide Back-to-School Rally on Thursday, August 10 from 3:00 – 7:00 p.m. The event will be held at Elston’s Gill Field, 317 Detroit Street in Michigan City.
More than 1,600 students and their families are expected to attend this year’s Rally, which has been held at Gill Field each summer for the past nine years. The event will again feature free food, exhibits, activities, free haircuts for kids, and a school supply giveaway. To attend the rally, families must be residents of Michigan City or attend Michigan City Area Schools, and students receiving supplies must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Parents should bring an ID or proof of residency, such as a utility bill with a Michigan City address.
Special activities at the Rally will include a 50-yard dash, big wheel races, a double dutch contest, and a 3-on-3 basketball tournament for both boys and girls.
Prior to the event, from 9:30am to 12:30pm, HealthLinc will conduct free lead screenings for children at Elston. They will also be present during the event to conduct lead screenings. In addition, the A. K. Scissory Salon at Elston will be open from 8:00-11:00am and 12:00-3:00pm to provide free haircuts for children on the 10th.
The Back-to-School Rally is a collaborative effort supported by numerous businesses and community agencies. Major event sponsors this year include American Licorice, Anthem, Comcast, Dunes Optical, Franciscan Physicians Network, Kabelin Ace Hardware, McDonald’s, MDWise, Meijer, the Michigan City Commission on the Social Status of African American Males, Servpro, and Weil-McLain.
This year, the organizing committee for the Back-to-School Rally includes representatives from Indiana Black Expo, the Laporte County NAACP, MDWise, Covering Kids and Families LaPorte County, Anthem, the City Michigan City, Michigan City Area Schools, the Elston YMCA, American Licorice, HealthLinc, Sodexo, and Purdue University Northwest.
Volunteers are needed on August 8 and 9 to assist in sorting school supplies in preparation for the event, and on August 10 for the Back-to-School Rally. Please call or email Lynann Neulieb at (219) 785-5414 or lneulie@pnw.edu for details.
More information about the event – including information about sponsorships and exhibits – may be found at www.EducateMC.net/backtoschoolrally.