Snow Cones, School Supplies, and Sunshine!
On Saturday August 5th, we once again teamed up with Snow Show Snow Cones to invade the red barn at WACO Air Museum in Troy to deliver school supplies to military and veteran families in the Miami Valley. In partnership with Operation Homefront, we gathered supplies that had been donated via customers at local Dollar Tree stores, sorting and cataloging over 2,500 supplies. Some of the items that were donated didn’t make it to our event, instead we passed them along to VFW and American Legions in areas that wouldn’t be able to make use of our giveaway, in places like Celina and Chillicothe.
After weeks of preparation, our volunteers got everything ready, organized, and clean. Thanks to Beckstrom Orthodontics, we were able to give each child a toothbrush and floss to help them start the new school year off with more than just fresh supplies. At noon we opened the doors and were so excited to see a crowd of military and veteran families ready to party with us! After getting checked in at the registration table, they walked down the rows, carefully picking out the folders, notebooks, and pencils that would help them have the best school year ever.
After they got their supplies, it was time for a stop at the photo wall, so parents could capture this moment forever, creating a fond memory to look back on.
Supplies selected and carefully stored in their tote bag meant it was time for a snow cone, thanks to Snow Show Snow Cones. They were an even bigger hit than last year, with the August sun shining brightly. We owe the biggest thank you to American Legion Post 184 in Piqua for sponsoring the free snow cones for our veteran and military families!
This year’s event was a massive success, serving almost 70 military and veteran children in the Miami Valley. We are already looking forward to next year’s Snow Cones and School Supplies event, which will be back at WACO Air Museum on August 3rd. While we hope to see you all there, we have lots going on before then! Check out our upcoming events page here to see where we’ll be next!