Ready, Set, Go! Lexington Neighborhood Back-to-School Rallies

2010 Rallies Set for August 7

For the fifth time, LexLinc and its partners are gearing up to provide school supplies for 8,000 children at  21 simultaneous neighborhood rallies. Click here to view a slide show about the 2009 rallies.

Click here for a flyer listing the 2010 rally sites, how to register and who to call for more information.  Click here for this information in Spanish.  This year, every site will provide school supplies for all grade levels.

Click here for a list of the school supplies provided in the backpacks.

Click here to read the press release about the rallies.

For more information about the rallies, please contact United Way 2-1-1 or LexCall 3-1-1.

Kentucky Utilities has already purchased 8,000 backpacks. The city Department for Environmental Quality is again the major partner to help purchase the supplies, ensuring neighborhoods, children and families get the connection between "going green" and the future of our children.

Click here for the current list of 2010 Sponsors.

For children to receive supplies in 2010, LexLinc needs your support. No gift is too large or too small.  Click here for a sponsorship form, or simply make your donation payable to:

LexLinc
436 Georgetown Street
Lexington, KY 40508

Please write "back to school" in the memo line.

2009 Rallies: Eighteen Neighborhoods served 8,000 children

On August 8, 2009, 18 neighborhoods hosted simultaneous back-to-school rallies serving 8,000 low-income school children.  Each child received a backpack and school supplies to prepare them for the coming school year. 

Click here to view a slide show about the 2009 rallies.

For a full list of the 2009 sponsors, click here.

The goal of this initiative is far greater than just preparing low-income children for school.  These events serve to unify our neighborhoods for even greater self advocacy and community planning.  Neighborhoods build bridges with schools, churches and local businesses by establishing relationships that they can utilize in the future for a variety of purposes.  With the current state of the economy, these networks are even more critical.

The week prior to the Saturday rallies, site coordinators and volunteers joined together at the Transylvania Student Center to collect their backpacks and school supplies.  Neighborhood partners provided local support, including planning and organizing the events, which include entertainment, workshops, speakers, door prizes, and additional supplies. Neighborhoods also sought additional sponsorships from local businesses, schools, arts, human service and faith-based organizations.

For the second year, the city Department for Environmental Quality was a primary partner to make sure children are ready to learn.  As an integral part of the rallies, Enviromental Quality used these events to educate families and neighborhoods about environmentally friendly habits that also impact the future of our children. 

History

In past years, One Community One Voice coordinated one central back-to-school rally while some individual neighborhoods also carried out more localized efforts. In 2006, OCOV partnered with LexLinc to develop a system of neighborhood-based rallies. In 2007, LexLinc accepted all central coordination responsibility, including raising sponsorships to purchase backpacks and elementary school supplies.

 Watch Partners For Education Video from Fayette County Public Schools (2008)