Back to School Bash Brings Smiles and Supplies to Golden Gate
On Saturday, July 19, Grace Place was thrilled to welcome more than 1,250 children and parents from the Golden Gate community to our fourth annual Back to School Bash — a lively morning dedicated to preparing students for a successful year ahead.
Thanks to the generosity of donors who provided over 940 backpacks filled with grade-specific school supplies, we were able to ease the financial burden many families face each school year. An amazing team of more than 50 volunteers dedicated their morning to distributing these backpacks to local students from kindergarten through 12th grade.
But the event was much more than just backpacks. Families accessed free vision screenings and glasses fittings courtesy of the Naples Lions Club and connected with valuable community resources offered by the David Lawrence Centers, Healthcare Network, Healthy Start of SWFL, and the Alliance for Period Supplies.
A local Boy Scout troop served a delicious pancake breakfast, while children enjoyed face painting, snow cones, popcorn, and engaging activities hosted by Great Wolf Lodge, the Children’s Museum of Naples, Conservancy of Southwest Florida, and Naples Botanical Garden. FGCU’s mascot Azul made a special appearance, along with visits from our local fire and sheriff’s departments, giving kids the chance to meet first responders and explore their vehicles.
From backpacks to pancakes, vision screenings to smiles, our Back to School Bash was an inspiring celebration of community coming together to invest in the futures of our children.
