Senator Parker Starts School Year for Brooklyn Kids with Free Supplies

1,200 plus children celebrated returning to school and the end of summer at Harvest Fest

Brooklyn, NY – Twelve hundred school-age children and families celebrated the end of summer and their impending start or return to classrooms last Saturday, September 7, 2013, at State Senator Kevin Parker’s annual Harvest Fest . The five-term Brooklyn lawmaker partnered with Sesame Flyers International, Inc., Target, National Grid, the Flatbush YMCA, City University of New York, Time Warner Cable, the Brooklyn and New York Historical Societies and others to host a day chock full of educational and cultural enriching activities at Paerdegat Park in the Senator’s district.

Since school resumed on Monday, September 9^th, the event’s giveaways were well-timed and greatly appreciated by parents preparing for the children to begin a new school year. Among the activities were youth musical performances by the Flatbush YMCA’s Harmony orchestra, an inflatable bouncy house, face painting and arts and crafts by the Brooklyn Children’s Museum, and an interactive musical and spoken word presentation on the life of the iconic electronic guitarist and songwriter Jimi Hendrix.  While the event is primarily geared to school-aged children, City University of New York representatives from Brooklyn College, Kingsborough Community College and New York City College of Technology were on hand to provide college admissions information for high school students.

"Each year we host this back-to-school event, I hear from parents how necessary the supplies are and each year we grow the event to meet those needs, said Senator Parker, who personally distributed each book bag to the children and adults who attended the event. “Getting everything ready for school can be challenging enough for parents, so I’m really proud and grateful for my sponsors who help me provide parents and children with their primary needs as they head back to school. The entire community benefits when our kids are well-educated and anything we can do to support them is important,” continued the Senator who resides minutes from the park.

A few featured highlights for parents were laminated child identification cards provided by New York Life. Parents received this useful emergency resource on the spot, in addition to obtaining affordable health insurance, financial planning, banking and fitness information from Emblem Health, Health First, Northfield Bank, and Blink Fitness. Young people and families were also able to apply for a Brooklyn Public Library card and withdraw books from an on-site bookmobile. The day’s activity was captured and filmed by Cablevision and will air on October 14^th in ‘Neighborhood Community’ (channel 118 for Cablevision subscribers). Additional partners included the New York Aquarium (Wildlife Conservation Society), New York Power Authority and members of 10 motorcycle clubs throughout the TriState area.

About Senator Kevin Parker

Senator Parker has been a Flatbush resident for more than 30 years. Having been nurtured, schooled and employed in the district, Senator Parker is intimately familiar with the needs of this ethnically diverse community that consists of 318,000 constituents in several communities which include: Flatbush, East Flatbush, Midwood, Ditmas Park, Kensington, Windsor Terrace and Park Slope. He is the Ranking Member of the Senate Committees on Energy and Telecommunications and Alcohol and Substance Abuse, Assistant Democratic Leader for Intergovernmental Affairs, and Chair of the Democratic Task Force on New Americans.

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Contact: Sonia A.M. Daly ‌‌‌‌‌| sdaly@nysenate.gov | Office 718-629-6401|