Co-Contributed by: Jaclyn Jackson 
On August 15th, Center team members, Kali Hassinger and Jaclyn Jackson, joined the Southfield community for a day of volunteering and fun at the Southfield Public Schools Back to School Summer Bash. The event provided free school supplies, books, and pertinent information to families gearing up for the 2015-16 school year. Featuring rides, ice cream, music, farm animals, and festival food, the picnic-style event proved to be great day for the Southfield community.
“As we were organizing supplies to give away, you could see a long line forming. One of the volunteers even joked that it looked like a line for a Justin Bieber concert. You could tell parents and students were excited about the event,” Jaclyn said.
The event reflects responsiveness to recent demographic changes of the school district. Today, sixty-five percent of enrolled students qualify for free or reduced lunch.
“It was such a positive event. It feels great to know that a student, who may not have the ability to buy those supplies otherwise, is starting the year prepared,” Kali explained.
In addition to volunteering, The Center was an event sponsor. Sponsorship and volunteer efforts are part of The Center’s vision for community partnering, which aims to contribute $100,000 in sweat equity, commitment, and financial contributions by 2020. In just 3 hours, the Summer Bash distributed enough school supplies to fill a large school bus. With continuing support from community sponsors, they hope to keep the annual event going.
The Center wishes every student a successful and enjoyable 2015-16 school year!
Jaclyn Jackson is a Research Associate at Center for Financial Planning, Inc.
Kali Hassinger is a Registered Client Service Associate at Center for Financial Planning, Inc.