Free bookbags, a bounce house, and a marching band created a festive atmosphere Saturday, Aug. 16 at the Fourth Annual Back-to-School Bash, helping Baltimore families start a new school year on the right foot.

A volunteer at the Fourth Annual Back-to-School Bash searches for a school uniform size for an event attendee.

Smiling faces of children and parents beamed outside of Booker T. Washington Middle School for the Arts and Renaissance Academy in the Madison Park and Upton neighborhoods, where the University of Maryland School of Social Work Center for Restorative Change (UMSSW CRC), Bethel AME Church, and partners distributed nearly anything a child will need for their first day of school and beyond.

Baltimore’s DJ Shaq spun the turntable to get the dancing going before the Elevation Marching Unit performed to help close out the day.

“We're having a good time. We're dancing together like, how often do you get to like dance with the people that you like work with, whether those are your actual coworkers or community member?” said Oprah Keyes, MSW, LCSW-C, director of strategic partnerships for Promise Heights at the UMSSW CRC.

The host schools, Booker T. Washington Middle/Renaissance Academy, are partner schools in the Promise Heights, Positive Schools Center and The Next Generation Scholars of Maryland programs in Upton/Druid Heights. It’s part of a larger scope of work that provides a pipeline for families and their children from cradle to career with the help of UMSSW faculty and staff.

“We may provide resources, but we also recognize that students and families are the resource themselves,” said Cassandra James, MSW, assistant director of Community Schools and Postsecondary Readiness at UMSSW CRC. “They are providing so much of what it is that we also need to learn more about them because they are the experts on their lives.”

Non-profit Synergy distributed free backpacks, clothing, and kitchen items. Families could pick up free school uniforms, a free boxed lunch from Hungry Harvest, fresh vegetables and more food to take home from the Maryland Food Bank, a free snowball from Ice Queens, in addition to notebooks, coloring pencils, and the usual school supplies.

About 20 community organizations, including several service programs housed in the Center for Restorative Change’s home nearby at 940 Madison Ave., were on site to connect families to resources.

The block party “allows for a certain level of comfortability to sometimes ask some questions that folks may not always feel comfortable to ask,” Keyes said.

That included Family Connections Baltimore, which offers three-, six-, and nine-month programs to provide case management, clinical services, advocacy and financial assistance for families.

“Family Connections Baltimore is not just focused on the child but the whole family unit,” said Stacey J. Wilson, LCSW-C, associate professor at UMSSW and lead trainer/clinician/field instructor at Family Connections Baltimore. “We believe a healthy family means a healthy community.”

Getting a child ready for school can be expensive. Depending on the survey, and the grade of the child, parents are estimated to spend between $600 and $900 per child on back-to-school supplies this year. The National Retail Federation’s survey pegs that at nearly $860 per K-12 student, factoring in clothing, shoes, supplies and electronics or computer-related equipment.

Shawnell Booker, a member of Bethel AME Church who helped with the event, brought her 3-year-old daughter Amore Martin to the event, picking up school supplies including Amore’s favorite: crayons. For Booker, it was amazing to see the breadth of services and supplies offered.

“Uniforms are so expensive. We offer free uniforms — you don’t have to pay anything. You can just come up and get a uniform in your child’s size. It’s the best thing here,” Booker said.

Now that families are better equipped for the start of Baltimore City Public Schools on Monday, there’s only one left thing to do.

“Do your best! That’s all I can say: Do your best!” said Lezley Lewis, MEd, assistant director of the Rise Early Learning and Family Support Center.