Limbo

August is a month of limbo for me. I’m hanging on to every last morsel of summer while frantically preparing for all the excitement of returning to the traditional, beloved school year. For many students, It can be hard to relax and “soak up those summer moments” if they are anxious about having all the “things” they think can make their first day a good one. And their parents or guardians can get stressed, adding up all the necessary shopping totals.

Being ready to learn means removing as many barriers as possible that can get in the way of learning. And that’s where the deep generosity of this community comes in. I am constantly amazed by the heart of donors and the soul of this community. Our Ready to Learn sponsors and donors contributed more than $20,000 this year to make sure students had free access to all the things that would remove both physical and mental barriers as they enter the school year.

Hundreds of volunteers worked to prepare, set up, run, and take down the massive fair, and words don’t seem adequate to thank them. But here are a few from some of our attendees:

“I love this fair!. It’s so helpful, and we come every year.”–parent of 6th and 2nd grade students

“This is really amazing. I can’t believe you put this together. It’s our first time, and I just can’t believe everything is free.”-parent of 2nd and 3rd grade students

“My favorite part of the fair is the book section. I go there first every year. Even before I get my backpack.”-3rd grade student

As summer winds down, we naturally turn to what’s ahead. I wish our families a wonderful new school year, full of learning, adventure, enrichment and friends. We have more opportunities for you to support students coming up as we finalize preparations for our 10th annual Fueling Education Fun Run with HF Sinclair. More to come next month, but please visit our website to see how you can help by donating or volunteering: www.asfkids.org.