By Bruce Boyer

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It is time to party! As the summer enters the home stretch, we shift our focus to the upcoming school year ahead.

Perhaps more than any year in their lifetime, school-age children are looking forward to starting the school year with their friends in the classroom. The school environment provides important learning opportunities, and it is where kids network with their friends, make new friends and enjoy the socialization aspects of school. The combination of academic learning and socialization is a powerful environment to help children develop. A year ago, schoolchildren were looking at remote learning and little interaction with friends. This year will be different. That is why it is time to celebrate!

The Kiwanis Club of Kernersville is hosting a kid-friendly, back-to-school party on Saturday, August 21. The second annual “Back to School Bash” will be held at the Kernersville Family YMCA, from 12 – 2 PM. The Back to School Bash is a free event for students entering grades K-5 in the fall.

The YMCA back field contains nine activity stations, an entertainment area, as well as food. Students will check in at the information tent. Each student will receive an age-appropriate reading book and a Treasure Hunt map. As they visit the activity stations, their map is validated at each station. Once completed, the Treasure Map can be exchanged for food vouchers to the Kona Ice food truck and a light lunch at the event. Students will also be eligible for several drawings for admission to the Greensboro Children’s Museum. Kids age 5 and younger can register for the Dolly Parton Imagination Library to receive a free book each month.

Children will enjoy various free activities that include knocker ball, soccer dart board, mini basketball, water gun target practice, and a 63’ inflatable obstacle course from Progress Fitness in Greensboro. Several challenging yard games will be available, including a giant Connect 4 game, Jenga, and Corn Hole. There will be musical entertainment, and local children’s authors are providing book readings.

The Kernersville Family YMCA is located at 1113 West Mountain Street in Kernersville. This is an outdoor event with no rain date.

In addition to the support being provided by the Kernersville Family YMCA hosting the event, there are several additional sponsors of the event, including – Progress Fitness in Greensboro, Triangle Lawn Games, and All Year Cooling and Heating. If you are interested in sponsorship opportunities, contact Leigh Cannon, the Kernersville Kiwanis Club’s Back to School Bash chairperson. Contact Leigh at: leighsspace@gmail.com.

The Back to School Bash is part of the Kiwanis Clubs’ ongoing literacy “signature project” effort. The club regularly donates children’s books to the Kernersville Public Library and co-sponsored the “Maker Space” children’s activity area at the library. The Kiwanis Club also established a children’s reading area in the YMCA Kid’s Zone and regularly stocks the free book exchange box outside the YMCA’s front door.

The Kiwanis Club of Kernersville focuses on supporting activities and services for children in the community. Established in 1988, the club’s mission statement reads: “Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to improving the world, one child and one community at a time.” The club welcomes new members from the community who are committed to supporting children’s activities in Kernersville.

The Kiwanis Club of Kernersville invites children in grades K-5 and their parents to attend the Back to School Bash, Saturday, August 21, at the Kernersville Family YMCA. See you there!