This past Saturday, August 3, marked a significant milestone for Lee College Education Center – South Liberty County (LCEC), which hosted its third annual Back-to-School Party and experienced unprecedented turnout and large community involvement.
The event’s attendance increased from 232 people last year to 405 this year, and 162 families were served, compared to 123 last year. All 300 school bags were distributed to participants, from elementary school students to college students, underscoring the event’s wide reach and impact.
A key part of the celebration was the Texas Department of State Health Services’ vaccination campaign, which depleted available vaccine supplies due to high demand. To meet the excess demand, LCEC sent follow-up emails to 154 families alerting them to upcoming vaccination opportunities, including a vaccination clinic at Dayton ISD on August 10.
The party featured entertainment from Final E Entertainment and refreshments from Gel-U, who provided 405 flavors of Italian ice. Additionally, eight community organizations were on hand to offer important information on health and mental health services, including Chambers Health, Health Center of Southeast Texas, Liberty County Long Term Recovery Committee, Liberty Dayton Regional Medical Center, Liberty Health Care Center, Maximus/Texas Health Steps, MET Early Head Start- Liberty, and Texas Child Health Access Through Telemedicine – TCHATT.
Walmart of Liberty County donated $100 worth of school supplies. Each of the organizations donated a prize for the house prizes. Lee College Recruitment and Retention donated five Lee College backpacks featuring Lee College SWAG. Lee College’s Office of Guided Pathways and Quality Service donated school supplies, house prizes, and two backpacks, and Lee College Education Center – South Liberty County donated school supplies and house prizes. A total of 30 participants were drawn for a house prize.
Special recognition goes out to Lee College Security Officers Roy Wood and Erick Cortes who provided valuable assistance with crowd control and parking. The event also benefited from generous volunteer support from Billi Mustafaa of Lee College Recruitment and Retention and the families of Katie Marek and Laura Lane-Worley.
The LCEC team, consisting of Katie Marek, Clayton Ware, Connor LaBove and Laura Lane-Worley, would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to its five partner ISDs: Anahuac, Dayton, Hardin, Hull-Daisetta and Liberty. Their support was critical to making this year’s Back to School Bash a resounding success.
