August 01, 2019 

By Brian W. Carter 

Contributing Writer 

 

It’s August!

 

You know what that means? They’re going back—to school!

 

Before you send the kids off for another year of academic excellence, you should make sure they go back prepared. The annual 21st Mothers In Action’s (MIA) Annual Back to School Health and Family Festival is coming to make sure they will be prepared for school. The festival will take place Saturday, August 3, from 9 a.m. -1 p.m. at Exposition Park’s Christmas Tree Lane 3911 S. Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, CA 90037.  

 

“We’re helping young students to be good, law-abiding, healthy, knowledgeable citizens by having back-to-school,” said the late Brenda Marsh-Mitchell and former president of MIA. “The need is still there and probably even more necessary now than it was when we started it.”

 

Tracy Mitchell echoes her mother’s sentiments and continues to bring the community one of the biggest health and family festivals in Los Angeles. Her mother’s words, truer now, than ever—there is still an unyielding need for youth to be successful in school.

 

“Brenda Marsh-Mitchell, recognized the fact that kids fail because they can’t hear, see, or feel,” said Mitchell. “So, she created the back to school to help diffuse the health issues that many underserved at risk youth in our community.”

 

The free event provides L.A.’s at-risk, underserved, school aged youth with free health screenings, immunizations, haircuts, uniforms and valuable community resources and information. Visitors can expect free or low-cost healthcare, youth job opportunities, safety, sex-trafficking information, education, social services, healthy habits and much more while supplies last. The event caters to children ages five to 15-years-old.  There will be free raffles throughout the day that includes a variety of tickets and more.

 

“We are very thankful to our village of elected officials, sponsors, donors, volunteers and barbers because as a small non-profit 501 (c)(3) agency we could not do this without them,” said Mitchell.

 

MIA would like to thank their chair, co-chairs, friends, members, sponsors, staff, volunteers, vendors and donors who are stepping up and out to help us provide our underserved residents of our community with a quality much needed health fair and back to school supply giveaway.

 

This year’s co-chairs and sponsors include: Danny J. Bakewell, Sr. of Bakewell Media; Assembly­member Reggie Jones-Sawyer, Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas; Councilmember Curren Price (CD9); Los Angeles City Council President Herb Wesson (CD10); Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson (CD8); and School Board member of District 1, Dr. George McKenna III.

 

Those sponsors, partners and special individuals include: Los Angeles Sentinel Newspaper, L.A. Watts Times, The Bakewell Company, Brotherhood Crusade, Bank of America, CHP, The Cochran Firm of California, The Baron J Foundation, Holman United Methodist Church, DJ Jiji Sweet, Robert Torrence, PAVA World, 7-Eleven, Oscar Joel Bryant Foundation, Office Depot Foundation, Office of Management of Exposition Park, LAPD, LAPPL, Sandra Evers Manly, South Coast AQMD, Printco Graphics, Kaiser Permanente, L.A. Sanitation, Walsh Shea Corridor Constructors, Weingart Foundation, RFP Insurance and Zapata-King Neighborhood Council.   MIA appreciates all of their corporate and individual donors.

 

MIA is honored to have health care educators/providers, which include Benevolence Health Center, Explorer -1, COACH for Kids, LAC+USC medical Center Asthma Breath Mobile, Special Service for Groups Trauma Recovery,  The Children’s Dental Center, Watts Health Center – Dentistry, Watts Health Center,  YWCA Greater Los Angeles and many more join our village to bless our youth with free health screenings and education at this year’s back to school health fair.

 

If you are planning on attending the event please bring your child’s immunization record if applicable. For more information on the event please contact the organization at (323) 290-0456 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Participants interested in donating to Mother’s In Action can visit www.gofundme.com/miabacktoschool

Category: Community