PHOTO BY JOHN LARSON

Free school supplies drew many parents and children to the event.

Tribe helps local children get ready for school

By John Larson

Hundreds of local children got geared up for the upcoming school year Aug. 9 during the East Side Tacoma Back to School Carnival.

The event has been held for eight years. This is the first time Puyallup Tribe has been a sponsor, although it is a continuation of recent collaboration between the Tribe and World Vision, a non-profit organization based in Federal Way that is active on the East Side of Tacoma. World Vision organized the event. Metro Parks provided use of Stewart Heights Park, where the event was held.

Laura Rodriguez, East Side Tacoma area manager for World Vision, said the Tribe’s funding paid for food, tents, bouncy toys and other items.

A wide variety of government agencies, non-profit organizations, churches and businesses participated in the event. Kiwanis Club of Tacoma fingerprinted children for identification kits. Cascade Pacific Eye Care provided free vision examinations.

The most popular attraction was the backpacks full of school supplies that were given away at the World Vision booth. The organization provides the backpacks and some of the supplies. Another sponsor, Tacoma Public Schools, also donates supplies. This year 1,200 backpacks were given away. About 250 other children were still in line when World Vision ran out. Laura Rodriguez said a list was made with all of their names, and the children were able to come by her office a week later to pick up a backpack.

Laura Rodriguez spoke with David Whited, a planner for the Tribe, and Tribal Councilmember James Miles about sponsoring the event. After sharing information about the event, she said James Miles “was really excited about it. He said the Tribe would love to support it.”

She knows David Whited from community projects the Tribe and World Vision have teamed up on, including a recent cleanup of the T-Street Gulch.

The event usually takes place at Portland Avenue Park. This year it was moved to Stewart Heights Park. Laura Rodriguez said the first event eight years ago drew about 200 people; about 10 times that amount attended this year.

“It has become something of a festival for the East Side,” she said. “Every year it grows.”

With the recent downturn in the economy, there is increasing need for the free school supplies and toiletries that the children received. “A lot of families are affected by it so more help is needed.”

Laura Rodriguez said World Vision and Puyallup Tribe have been working closely on common goals for the past 18 months and she looks forward to more collaboration in the future. “They really hope to partner with us on more activities. We are trying to get a lot of things going,” she said. “It has been great working with them. It is just a great momentum we have going on the East Side.”

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