Senator Parker Celebrates Back-To- School

Brooklyn, NY (8/28/18) – On Saturday, August 25, State Senator Kevin Parker hosted the 11^th Annual Harvest Fest Back-To-School Celebration at Paerdegat Park in Central Brooklyn. The free community event in partnership with HealthFirst, Sears/Kmart, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., Delta Rho Omega Chapter and Spectrum, provided over 2,000 backpacks filled with school supplies to students that attended. “Every year, my office is honored to host Harvest Fest for the families of Brooklyn not only to give away school supplies, but to gather with the community in fellowship and merriment as the summer months come to an end,” said Senator Parker.

At the celebration, families were treated to free food, fun activities, live entertainment and cultural art performances by community organizations like Ifetayo Cultural Arts Academy, and the Flatbush YMCA. The Brooklyn Public Library participated at the event with their mobile library unit, and there were free onsite screenings by the National Black Association for Speech-Language and Hearing (NBASLH) and vision screenings by the Stuy Park Lions Club.  Karen St. Hilaire, First Vice President of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Delta Rho Omega Chapter, stated, “Our chapter enjoys partnering with Senator Parker every year for his Annual Harvest Fest event. It is a great way to ensure that parents receive the extra support they need, and that our students begin the school year encouraged and motivated to learn.”

Senator Parker concluded, “My Annual Harvest Fest event is a friendly reminder to everyone that it does indeed take village to raise a child and that if we each do our part, the future will be brighter for our youths.  The sponsors of Harvest Fest get that and that’s why they are eager year after year to support our youth.”

About State Senator Kevin Parker

Senator Kevin S. Parker is intimately familiar with the needs of his ethnically diverse Brooklyn district comprised of sections of Flatbush, East Flatbush, Midwood, Ditmas Park, Kensington, Windsor Terrace, and Park Slope.  A lifelong Brooklyn resident, he is the Ranking Democratic Member on the Senate Committee on Energy and Telecommunications.

Senator Parker is the Whip of the Senate Democratic Conference; Member of the Senate Democratic Conference Policy Group; Member of the Senate Select Committee on Technology & Innovation; and Member of the Senate Democratic Minority and Women-Owned Business Task Force (MWBE).

For the 2017-2018 Legislative Session, Senator Parker serves on the Senate Standing Committees on Finance; Rules; Higher education; Labor; Insurance, and Banks.

To learn more about Senator Parker and his initiatives on behalf of working families across New York State, please visit www.nysenate.gov/senators/kevin-s-parker.