On Aug. 11, the Sunday before school started, area kids were invited to attend a Back-to-School Bash at the Collinsville Elementary School gym. There, families could pick up school supplies, enjoy snacks and water and kids could enjoy a bounce house and free haircuts from professional barbers.
The idea for the event was the brainchild of David Walters (president of Collinsville Area Youth Sports Association [CAYSA] and Collinsville police officer) and Austin Sotelo, owner of Finesse Cutz Barbershop in Collinsville.
Last summer, Walters and his son, who were year-long clients of Sotelo, were getting their haircut when the conversation took an interesting turn. Sotelo, who lives in Collinsville, mentioned he’d been wanting to find a way to do something local that would make an impact on his community. He was toying with the idea of offering free haircuts for kids going back to school.
Walters mentioned he’d been considering a school supply drive that would allow kids to receive free supplies for the upcoming school year.
The two decided to join forces and create an event that would be a one-stop-shop for parents preparing their kids for school. Sotelo contacted some barber friends; Walters reached out to local organizations for school supply donations. They set a date (the weekend before school started), booked the school gym, and a Back-to-School bash was born.
The bash was a great success, with 80 kids picking up school supplies and 50 kids getting haircuts. Walters and Sotelo decided to hold the bash again, but this year, the event was bigger and better than before.
Walters reached out to his friend Jane Proffer of Cutting Edge Salon in Whitesboro, and she brought a stylist so the two could focus on haircuts and styles for girls. 903 Party Rentals donated a bounce house so kids would have something fun to do while waiting for haircuts and supplies. This year’s event saw 105 kids come through the doors between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m., with 65 receiving haircuts.
“Each year we’re going to slowly add things to make this a really fun event for kids and their families,” Walters said. “By providing school supplies and haircuts in one place, it really saves parents stress and headache of back-to-school prep.”
After the event, any leftover school supplies were offered to CISD teachers after their Meet the Teacher night. Anything left over from that was then used to stock the elementary supply room.
“Nothing that was donated went to waste,” Walters said.
The Back-to-School Bash isn’t just for Collinsville students. Anyone is welcome to attend – students of all ages from any district -- as long as supplies last.
“We want to help everyone we can,” Walters said.
In addition to providing school supplies and haircuts, the Back-to-School Bash also allows students to reconnect with friends, see some teachers and meet the school principal.
“We’ve found that by coming to the event, it helps kids get over those first-day jitters,” Walters said.
The success of this event relies solely on the donations of organizations and individuals. First Baptist Church, the Collinsville Church of Christ and CAYSA provided 99% of the school supplies given out to area families.
“Next year, I’m hoping to work with Principal Danny Bates to receive school supply lists a little earlier,” Walters said. “Then we can start seeking donations to meet those needs.”
To learn more about how to help make this event a success or to donate to the effort, reach out to Walters on Facebook at either David CA Walters or CAYSA.