Rochester’s back to school block party doubles the size of last year

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(ABC 6 News) – Saturday leaders with Rochester Public Schools hosted the 3rd annual back-to-school block party to make sure families are ready for the start of another school year.

The block party has plenty of activities to keep all of the children entertained and happy.

“I went in the bouncy house, we did redraw and we got ice cream sandwiches,” said Javonte Wilks, a soon-to-be fifth grader. “I’m about to have the best day of my life.”

It’s a completely free event for the community to help kids get ready for back to school.

Not only is there free food, but kids of all ages can also get free backpacks and hygiene kits.

“The event is originally centered around making sure that our kids who need school support, school supplies can have that, and also putting parents in touch with resources, and each year it’s grown a little bit more,” said Stephanie Whitehorn, one of the event organizers.

Whitehorn says the turnout for the event doubled what they had last year.

“We’ve had an amazing, amazing turnout. The community has really showed out,” said Whitehorn.

Not only is the crown bigger, but so is the number of volunteers and vendors.

“We make this happen with the help of several committees, several community partners, people who just care about what’s happening in the city of Rochester and care about what’s happening with our youth,” said Whitehorn.

The back-to-school block party is a collaboration between several community organizations and they’re always looking for more people who want to get involved.

An event this size takes the whole community to make it a success, and it’s clear all of the organizations involved are dedicated to sending kids off for a successful school year.