FORT HUACHUCA, Ariz. – More than 35 organizations came together at Murr Community Center on Thursday for this year’s Back-to-School Fair. The fair was billed as an “information round-up” and many of the groups who participated dressed in boots and cowboy hats to show their spirit.
Paula Smedes, school liaison officer, said the fair was a “One-stop-shop, showcasing many of the resources that we have in our community.” She explained the goal was to put many different organizations together under one roof, so parents could learn about valuable resources and opportunities for their children.
“This gives all of our parents the opportunity to get the information they need for the upcoming school year,” she said.
The Fort Huachuca Accommodation School District, as well as several local charter schools, all had booths at the fair. The Child Development Center, School-age Center and Teen Center were represented, as well as Family, Morale, Welfare & Recreation’s Youth Sports/SKIES, community youth clubs and the Sierra Vista Public Library. Representatives from Raymond W. Bliss Army Health Center, Runion Dental Clinic and Armed Forces Bank all had information to share with families as well.
“It was important for us to bring out different resources” Smedes said. “That’s why we have the health clinic and [the Exceptional Family Member Program] here, so parents can get all the information on just about anything they can think of, as far as their kids go.”
And that, said several parents, was what made the fair so interesting. Kurt Legnon said he received important information from the bank, something he didn’t expect to learn about at a back-to-school fair.
“There are lots of opportunities for kids here [at the fair],” he said. “But it was also really good for me to get information about things that I didn’t know, like how [the bank] will help you set up a savings account for your kids.”
Ann-Maire Dawson was grateful that so much information was presented.
“We are new here, so this was the perfect opportunity to find out about things.
“We literally just moved in,” she said. “Our new neighbor told us about this and said we should come.”
This was also the first time attending for Ally Fallon.
“We moved her halfway through the school year [last year], and we felt kind of lost,” she said. “This gives us the chance to find out about the different groups and make sure we have the information about everything that goes on around here.”
Fair attendees collected items such as pencils, water bottles and stress balls from many of the participating organizations and were able to register to win one of several backpacks filled with school supplies that were being given away.
(Editor's note: Additional photos are available online at 2023-07-20 Back to school fair | Flickr.)
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Fort Huachuca is home to the U.S. Army Intelligence Center of Excellence, the U.S. Army Network Enterprise Technology Command/9th Army Signal Command and more than 48 supported tenants representing a diverse, multiservice population. Our unique environment encompasses 946 square miles of restricted airspace and 2,500 square miles of protected electronic ranges, key components to the national defense mission.
Located in Cochise County, in southeast Arizona, about 15 miles north of the border with Mexico, Fort Huachuca is an Army installation with a rich frontier history. Established in 1877, the Fort was declared a national landmark in 1976.
We are the Army’s Home. Learn more at https://home.army.mil/huachuca/.
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