FORT HUACHUCA, Ariz. – The Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare & Recreation hosted its annual Back-to-School fair at Murr Community Center on July 18. The line frequently stretched out the door, as eager parents and children came to find information about various offerings within the local communities.
Approximately 40 different organizations had booths at the fair, including representatives from multiple childcare and after-school facilities, religious organizations, sports groups and clubs. Fort Huachuca Accommodation Schools, Sierra Vista Unified School District and six other private schools were on hand to answer questions.
In order to make the fair a one-stop-shop for parents, there were also representatives from Raymond W. Bliss Health Center, Runion Dental Clinic, Vista Optical and the Exceptional Family Member Program.
Parents said they were glad that there was so much information to be found in one place, as they prepared for the upcoming school year.
Andrea and Schayanne Cruz attended the fair with their daughter. Schayanne said they wanted “to gather information and make sure [our daughter] is ready to go to school, and to get all the resources that are available.”
He said they were pleasantly surprised by the amount of information they received.
“We got a lot of pamphlets of information that we can take home and read up on.”
He said the family just recently moved here from Texas, and they were surprised at how many programs were offered here.
“There’s so much in this area that I didn’t know about,” said Andrea.
One thing she was surprised to learn was the number of private schools in the area.
“Considering the area is small, I wasn’t expecting to have so many resources available to us,” she said.
The variety of information offered at the fair was also a pleasant surprise to Rebecca Genteline. She explained she was also fairly new to the area and thought she knew what to expect with the schools, but she learned new information about the Fort Huachuca community at the fair.
One thing she was surprised to learn was that she and her family could attend church on Post.
“I thought the Chapel was just for AIT students,” she said. “I didn’t realize that families could attend.”
She also said she was glad the optical center had a table at the fair because her family would be needing new glasses “and now I finally have the phone number for the optical clinic on post!”
While parents gathered information, the children had a good time gathering goodies. Each child was given a bag upon entering, and many of the tables were giving away candy and other various items like water bottles, stickers, stress balls and hats. Participants were also able to register to win one of several backpacks stuffed with school supplies donated by the Exchange.
No matter their reason for attending, the event was a success for parents and kids alike.
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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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