2500 K-12 Students served through BMAGIC's 18th Annual Back to School Celebration
On August 13th and 14th, BMAGIC, a program of the San Francisco Public Defender to create collaborative community building efforts, held the 18th Annual Back to School Celebration and Backpack Giveaway. The BMAGIC Team committed early on, despite the changing pandemic guidelines, to have an in-person event that was safe, fun, and dynamic. They accomplished this with the support of over 30 volunteers, ultimately serving 2500 students k-12!
Since 2004, BMAGIC offers children and youth, ages 5-18, new backpacks filled with essential school supplies to celebrate the beginning of the new school year. The event serves as a community building activity where children, youth and families come together and learn about the various services CBOs in BVHP provide as well as other city agencies and service providers.
Team members building the Southeast Community Center at 1550 Evans volunteered to assemble backpacks on Friday and distribute them on the Saturday event.
Participants:
Pankow Builders: Jason Duong, Rebekah Thomson, Etta Jones, Joshua Loney, Mike Kawagan, Chris Tobin
SFPUC: Shelby Campbell, DPW: Laura Tanigawa, JBR Parnters: James Bryant
Jason Duong, Project Manager
What did this event mean to you?
This event gives me a chance to give back to the community that I am working in and to help the children who can benefit from the supplies inside the backpack. I have two kids and I know how expensive it is to buy back-to-school supplies every year. The supplies inside the backpack are very useful and meaningful for a family that needs them for their kids. I feel rewarded to be a small part of this Bmagic backpack giveaway event.
Why did you decide to volunteer?
Volunteering, in general, is very personal to me. The place where I come from was very hopeless. It is a long journey to get to where I am today. I would not able to be here if there were no people who decided to volunteer and give a helping hand to me and my family at the time of need. It may feel like a small effort on their part, but it changed the life for me and my family. I volunteer because I want to have the chance to give back what was given.
CBO & City Partners who made the event extra special!
Critical resources and information was provided to families from the CBO/School partners and City Agencies
Bike Coalition- provided new bikes and it was priceless to see the extra joy on the kids faces as they zipped around
Tzu Chi Foundation-continued to provide 1200 uniform t-shirts
Museum of Craft & Design- allowed kids to be creative and personalize their backpacks
COVID Testing & Vaccine Team- continued to engage and educate our community
ABOUT BMAGIC
Bayview Hunters Point Mobilization for Adolescent Growth in our Communities (BMAGIC) is a network San Francisco neighborhood-based nonprofit organizations whose mission is to facilitate, coordinate and develop community resources and opportunities that support service providers and community members in Bayview Hunters Point (BVHP).
Their vision is to create and maintain a deeper unified road-map to social change that advances the educational, health, economic, and juvenile justice of disadvantaged youth and their families in Bayview Hunters Point.