08/05/2026
A sincere and Heartfelt THANK YOU!
(Please forgive me if I missed you)
What an incredible day of community, collaboration, love, and service!
To every partner, collaborator, organization, volunteer, donor, barber, stylist, vendor, community leader, and family who helped make our Community Back 2 School event a success, THANK YOU!
With more than 600 people in the building and hundreds of students supported, this event was a true testament to what can happen when OUR community comes together with one heart and one purpose, and that’s to serve our children and families.
This was bigger than backpacks, school supplies, haircuts, ponytails, resources, food, and giveaways. It was about making sure our students walked away knowing that their community sees them, supports them, believes in them, and wants to see them succeed.
No one organization or individual could have done this alone. Every contribution, every resource, every donated item, every volunteer hour, every partnership, and every act of kindness helped make the day possible.
DREAM TEAM:
North River Alliance; Sheldon Jones, WoodieVille; De Bernard Woodie, Saffo & Friends; Cee Saffo, Ajizzlee the Barber & GQ Thee Barber, Little Orphan Ashley, Align Right Realty SRQ Opulence, Jesus Generation and Unidos Now.
Hair Stylist you rock and are the best: Ernisha Belvin, Mazie, and Toya
MC: JT Church White
Guests:
Mayor Dan West
Pastor John Wester Sr
Amanda Ballard (face painting)
Vendors:
T Freeze
Jimmy CakeZ & CravingZ
Entree’s by Tronda
Manatee County Health Dept.
Bishop
Overly Blessed
Better Together
Good News Club
Women Over Warfare (WOW)
The Ringling
Red Cross
Van Wezel
Tech House
MOTE
PARTNERS:
WhiteWater Real Estate Group
RECESS
Pentecostal of Faith Church
Mount Raymond Church
Palmetto Downtown Mainstreet (PDMS)
Nexis Advisory Group
Ri5e Leadership Sports Academy Inc
Zeta Amicae’s of Palmetto
MYTH
Tiny Spaces
ULOC of Tampa
Manatee Heart & Sole Steppers
Sponsors:
Tim Lester
Attorney Little
This is what community looks like. This is what collaboration looks like. This is what love in action looks like!!!
To the families who trusted us to serve you, we truly thank you for showing up and allowing us to be a part of your back-to-school journey.
And to everyone who poured into this effort: WE DID THIS TOGETHER!
Hundreds of students supported.
More than 500 people under one roof.
Countless smiles.
ONE COMMUNITY. ONE PURPOSE. ONE INCREDIBLE DAY.
From the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU for showing up for OUR community!
