The City of Lake Station’s beloved Back to School Community Action Day returned for another great run at Riverview Park on Saturday, August 5. With the first day of school right around the corner, the event was a wonderful way to help prepare students and their families for success both in and out of the classroom during the upcoming academic year.
“It really means a lot in our community to help our students not only get ready for school but also help them get their school supplies and backpacks, and we have free haircuts for the youngsters,” said City of Lake Station School Superintendent Tom Cripliver. “All of that coming together helps bring a sense of community and partnership with the schools, and that's really what we're looking for - to partner with our community and partner with our families. That's one of the reasons we do this event, and why we like doing this event every year.”
Many different booths were placed throughout the park that offered students free school supplies to use in their classes. Since shopping for new (and sometimes required) items each year can quickly add up, having the option to receive these items at no cost was a huge weight off many families’ shoulders.
“I've been coming to this event for the last probably six years,” said Leti Zamarron, a grandparent to a 10-year-old student. “A lot of the tables have very useful information, and it's nice that they do this for the kids, as well as for parents or grandparents who can't afford to go out and buy stuff for the kids for back to school.”
School supplies weren’t the only thing the kids and their families could stock up on as they visited the vendors throughout the park. Many booths were also offering valuable information that they could utilize throughout the year, including the Indianapolis-based Indiana Civil Rights Commission. While its headquarters are down South, it has jurisdiction over the entire state of Indiana and works to investigate complaints of illegal discrimination in housing, public accommodation, credit, education, and employment.
The Commission was excited to attend Community Action Day to let Northwest Indiana students know help will always be available for civil-rights-related issues should they need it at any point throughout the year.
“We love to get connected face-to-face with people and let them know that if they do experience any discrimination or anything that doesn't quite feel right, they have a resource to turn to,” said Public Outreach Manager Anne-Therese (AT) Ryan. “We're just giving out that information and letting them know that we can help them if they experienced that.”
Seeing so many people come together for the kids left many with hearts full, including Deborah Zukoski, a mother who was left in awe seeing just how much Lake Station truly has the student’s best interests at heart.
“It has actually been a really helpful event, and I really appreciate that community doing this,” she said. “I'm surprised at the amount of people from the community who are here as far as the different organizations go, and I really do appreciate the amount of supplies that were given. It's actually more than what I expected, and this has exceeded my expectations.”
Lorraine Guillen, stakeholder, business director for Latin Media, and an organizer of the event, also feels that strong sense of community, and loves that so many different vendors were excited to be a part of this year’s Community Action Day.
“I think the information will really benefit the schools, and our vendors do a great job as far as passing out resources and safety issues - the companies can go ahead and pass out resources on what they do as far as their company goes and so forth,” she said. “I think our vendors and seeing them give out to our community has been my favorite part.”
The day was one to remember for the kids as well. Arielle, a sophomore and Zukoski’s daughter loved that she was able to witness everyone help out one another, and she appreciates their support. The new school supplies were a fun bonus, too.
“I enjoyed the stickers, and I enjoyed getting backpacks and the fact that people are giving things out and like supporting different things,” she said.
Seeing the Lake Station community come together for Community Action Day has always meant a lot for the schools as well. With everyone’s support, many in the school system are already confident this is going to be a great year for all.
“We're very family-oriented. We're a small district, so we do feel like it takes a village to raise a child,” said Lake Station Schools Assistant Superintendent Christine Pepa. “We all work together to provide whatever we can so our families can start the school year on a good foot.”
The City of Lake Station also extends a special thank you to the many organizations that sponsored this year’s event including presenting sponsor Indiana Civil Rights Commission, as well as NIPSCO, Geminus, NorthShore Health Centers, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Northwest Indiana, and many others. Without their help, this event would not be possible, and the city greatly appreciates all their support.
For more information on the City of Lake Station, visit its website at lakestation-in.gov.