A group of city parents hopes to give away 500 free backpacks during a back to school rally slated for Sunday, Aug. 24 at Gatison Park on Fourth Street.
The event, sponsored by Ansonia’s Save Our Youth, a volunteer group, will feature an all-ages basketball tournament, live DJs and a ton of other family-friendly events.
It’s the rally’s second year, said Iris Carotenuto, an Ansonia mom of two.
The idea is to give a families a break on the ever-increasing costs of sending kids to school — and have an old-fashioned, family-friendly community gathering.
“We have to pay for school uniforms in Ansonia, so back-to-school costs are getting expensive,” Carotenuto said. “We wanted to help parents who are struggling to give them something they didn’t have to worry about as the kids go back to school.”
Backpacks, especially for older students, can get expensive.
Some of the parents who organized last year’s event include Carotenuto, along with Leonard Duffus and Carolino Monteiro.
They gathered donations for last year’s event from churches, local groups — and their own pockets. A few restaurants — Domino’s, Antonio’s and JRB’s — donated food.
A few local barbers were on hand last year to give free hair cuts to the kids.
“Our goal last year was to give away 100 free backpacks with school supplies. We ended up giving away 275,” Carotenuto said.
Mayor David Cassetti has been invited to this year’s rally as well.
Will the ex-boxer sign up for the basketball tournaments, which start at 10 a.m.?
“I don’t think so!,” Carotenuto said, with a chuckle.
The organizers respectfully request that only Ansonia families and students attend the event, due to the demand.
“Everything is free. It is a free event,” Carotenuto said.
The basketball tourney is from 10 to 6 p.m.
The actual “rally” is from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
The park is on 4th Street, essentially behind the shopping plaza where Domino’s is on North Main.
From a press release:
To sign-up for the basketball tournament, players should contact Carlino Monteiro at 203 – 889-8949. For any questions or to make donations for the rally, please contact Leonard Duffus at 203 – 278-3775.
