CERT hosts Back to School Block Party

(ABC 6 News) – It’s now back-to-school season. As kids and parents get ready for the school year, one Rochester organization called the Community Engagement Response Team (CERT) is making sure kids have all of the supplies and resources they need to have a successful year.

They’re doing so by hosting a block party at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park.

Around 200 families came to the event Saturday. Kids could choose their own backpack, pens, pencils, and more.

People here in town and sponsors donated school supplies for families in need. And for the organizers hosting this event, this means the world to them, they’re driven to help people here in the community.

"We’re going to do safe walks to school, we want the children to meet the police officers, the police liaisons, we just want the community to love on each other and get to know each other to know that we’re safe and that we’re a safe community,” Shaketa Clark, member of the Community Engagement Response Team said.

And for the parents at the event, they’re so happy this event happened today. One parent told ABC 6 NEWS he’s relieved he can get his kids what they need because he’s working within a budget.

And another parent says seeing the community come together is so special, she’s also an educator and couldn’t be happier to see people come together.

"So it’s really just awesome seeing anything with community engagement, getting kids what they need to do school. So I think it’s fabulous, it’s wonderful,” Erin Vasquez said.