The New York Yankees and New York City Public Schools recently helped Bronx students get into the swing of a new school year with a resource fair that brought thousands to the Stadium.
Created in 2022, this shared initiative was designed to ensure that local families have access to resources that will allow their children to excel throughout the school year.
Twenty-five community organizations participated in the Aug. 29 event, providing information about their services, which ranged from financial literacy to food access, library access, health and social services, youth employment, and college assistance.
Among these organizations were the American Red Cross, YMCA of Greater New York, New York Public Library, Optical Academy, Hispanic Federation, Bank of America, Food Bank for NYC, and New Settlement. Children were welcomed with special, gray backpacks embellished with the iconic Yankees logo.
Jasmine Jones, a Westchester County native and parent from District 7, discovered the Resource Fair through an invitation from her daughter’s school. She spoke about the importance of these events and the long-term impact on families.
“I felt that it was a good incentive, my daughter’s never been to Yankee Stadium so why not just come and enjoy such activities that The Bronx is giving for free,” said Jones.
She explained that there are smaller events in Westchester County, but nothing compared to events like the Yankees Resource Fair.
“When we came in, we were kind of skeptical, but everybody’s so warm and so welcoming. We feel comfortable here. It’s not like anybody’s left out, it’s enough supplies for everybody… Families need this,” she concluded.
Brian Smith, the senior vice president of the Yankees, spoke about the origin of the Back to School initiative.
“We have a long-standing working relationship with the New York City Public Schools, especially our partnership with Community District 9,” said Smith. “We talked about how we can best position the family at the start of the school year, to make sure their kids are on a productive track to be successful, and we came up with the Back-to-School Resource Fair.”
He also expressed a desire to create more initiatives and events for youth in the Bronx.
“We’re always looking to expand our network of partners to generate access to the surrounding community,” said Smith. “It’s a priority of our organization to open our doors to our neighbors… to show that we’re a member of this community and a productive member of the community.”
Michelle L. attended the event with her children, a ninth-grader and a first-grader.
“I heard about this [event] from my son’s school, and I thought it was really amazing that this opportunity came about, because in this community, you don’t have very resourceful places to go to,” said Michelle L.
While exploring the different community organizations, she learned about banking and the NYC Kids Rise program, a nonprofit organization that works with families, schools, and communities to invest in and save for their children’s futures.
“It’s a lot of resources that are going to help the parents, which then helps the home as well,” she said.
