Nine-year-old Isabel Pablo, a fourth-grader at Margaret R. Brown Elementary School, was at the Rock’n Ready school supply distribution Saturday at Seymour Middle School.
Isabel was there with her dad, Sebastian Pablo, and she had her eye on a certain pink backpack, but it was for a different grade level.
“I like the backpack because it’s cute with all the smiley faces on it,” she said.
That’s where volunteer and Rock’n Ready committee member Karen Munson stepped in to help.
“She wanted one of the backpacks in a different group, so we switched one out,” Munson said. “I’m a social worker at Brown Elementary School, and I know Isabel.”
Munson handed the backpack to the little girl and helped her put it on. Isabel was smiling from ear to ear as she walked back over to her dad.
Her backpack was one of a couple hundred, divided into grade-level categories, lined up on the floor in the Seymour Middle School gymnasium on Saturday during the Rock’n Ready distribution.
Volunteers kept replenishing the backpacks throughout the 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. event to accommodate the 890 children who were signed up in Seymour.
Brownstown schools had their Rock‘n Ready distribution on the same day from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. with 204 kids signed up. Medora had about 190 registered and is hosting its distribution today from 5 to 7 p.m., and Crothersville schools had 23 registered for backpacks, too.
Maci Baurle, executive director for Jackson County United Way, was at Seymour Middle School for Saturday’s event.
She said the families who had already registered for school supplies were sent a postcard so they knew when to be there.
“During the distribution, they’ll come in and bring their postcard to us, and we correlate that with the time,” Baurle said. “They go up the hallway to the door that leads to the gym, where there’s another check-in, and then they’ll go to the table that’s the grade of their child, and a backpack is given to them.”
After the kids received their backpacks, families could go the resource area, where local agencies were set up to distribute information, hand out some freebies and answer questions. Some tables had games set up for the kids to play, too.
Emily Engelking, engagement director for Jackson County United Way, is in charge of the Rock’n Ready program.
“We’re leaving 1:30 to 2 p.m. open at the middle school to whoever might need school supplies but didn’t register,” Engelking said. “So with the extras, we have close to 1,400 backpacks between all four distribution points.”
She said volunteers and staff spent all afternoon last Friday filling backpacks for the four grade categories, which were kindergarten through second grade, third through fifth grades, sixth through eighth and ninth through 12th.
At Seymour Middle School, there was an average of 60 to 65 families coming through every half-hour.
“Backpacks at Seymour and Crothersville were prefilled, but Crothersville students will pick up their backpacks on the first day of school,” Engelking said. “Brownstown has more of a shopping experience, and Medora’s is also a shopping experience, but they will also receive toiletries, free shoes, haircuts and it’s a bigger community event with agencies set up, as well.”
Engelking said she loves the Medora event because it’s so cool and the whole community comes out for it. Each event is tailored for the needs of the individual community, she added.
“Brownstown registrations were at 204, but with walk-ins, it was about 235,” she said. “At Seymour, some folks who had registered didn’t show up, so we had around 50 backpacks left over that we gave to some of the schools.”
During the distribution in the SMS gym, there was a table set up for those who spoke Spanish and a table for English.
“Each backpack has a color-coded label for the grade groups, so once they check in, they receive a ticket for whatever grade their child’s in,” Engelking said. “Then they’ll go down to a table and give them the ticket in exchange for a backpack, and they try to ask if there’s a certain color the child wants.”
The event at SMS included a community resource and health fair that was open to the public. Participating organizations were Anchor House Family Assistance Center and Pantry, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southeast Indiana, Building Blocks, CareSource, Child Care Network, Firefly Children and Family Alliance, Girl Scouts of Kentuckiana, Healthy Start, Healthy Jackson County, Indiana Health Center, Jackson County Dental, Jackson County United Way/Covering Kids and Families, MDWise, Su Casa Indiana and Turning Point Domestic Violence Services.
“We also have a vaccination clinic set up through the Indiana Department of Health, and they’ve brought a mobile unit down,” Engelking said. “We’ve had about 30 people preregister, but there has been a steady amount of walk-ins, so our focus is making this like a one-stop shop for families to get ready for going back to school.”
She said collections for school supplies went really well, and there was a great turnout at Walmart Supercenter in Seymour, raising more than $3,000 to purchase supplies.
“I estimated between Seymour and Brownstown, there would be around 50 volunteers, but more showed up than what I was expecting,” Engelking said. “What I love about this program is how many people want to be a part of it and they’re excited about it, and the fact that people of all ages want to show up and help is the best part of it.”
Dee Hess helped distribute backpacks at the middle school. She’s a member of Delta Delta sorority, which is one of the event sponsors, she said.
“I was asked if I wanted to help and said yes, and there are several other sorority sisters volunteering here today,” Hess said. “There have been quite a few families come through this morning.”
Seymour High School students Ty Tormoehlen and Harrison Wetzel were volunteers at the distribution. They were acting as runners, taking the backpacks to the tables for the kids.
Tormoehlen, 16, said he has been volunteering at the event for the past couple of years because he likes helping out. Wetzel said he read about it online and wanted to be part of it to make people happy.
Cody Kanady signed in his daughter, Cicilia Kanady, and then they headed to the first table to pick out a backpack. Cicilia, 8, chose her favorite color, pink.
When asked what she likes about school, Cicilia said the really nice teachers.
Darlene Beavers brought her 6-year-old granddaughter, Hailee Beavers, to the distribution. Hailee was wearing boots and a Wonder Woman dress and was excited to have found a Captain Marvel backpack.
“This backpack matches my dress,” she said. “I’m not ready for school yet. I don’t want summer to end.”
Darlene said she loved the backpack distribution at the school and thought it was a great idea.
“I think it’s good for all of the parents and grandparents and kids,” she said. “Everything is getting so expensive, and any little help is better than no help.”
Darlene said it also was helpful with the agencies letting the community know what they have to offer.
Art Juergens, president of Seymour Community School Corp. board of education, stopped by the middle school and said the event was like a puzzle, where many community members come together to help.
“A lot of these kids wouldn’t be able to get these supplies without other people’s help,” he said. “I’m glad they’re able to have this help for so many kids.”
Motioning toward the agency tables that lined two sides of the gym, he said a lot of people don’t realize what county services are available to them.
Even though Rock’n Ready for 2023 is wrapping up, monetary donations are accepted year-round, which will go toward the program in 2024. For information, call 812-522-5450 or visit jacsy.org/rocknready.