For a child heading into a new school year, a backpack can be more than something to carry pencils and notebooks. It can symbolize a fresh start. But for some families, the cost of getting children ready for school can create a difficult choice between necessities. “We don’t want our families to ever have to choose between paying rent, buying groceries or buying school supplies,” said Ron Rice, coordinator of the Aboriginal Back-to-School Picnic. The Victoria Native Friendship Centre and Surrounded by Cedar Child and Family Services are trying to raise $5,000 by Aug. 22 to help ensure Indigenous children in care have the backpacks and school supplies they need when they return to the classroom. The money will help cover backpacks, school supplies and event logistics for the annual Aboriginal Back-to-School Picnic at Government House. Rice says the goal goes beyond making sure children have the right pencils, notebooks and other supplies. “We don’t want children to arrive to their first day of school unprepared,” he said. Instead, Rice says the focus is on making the start of the school year a positive experience. “When they go back to school, we just want them to feel joy.” The picnic brings Indigenous children in care and their foster families together for a day of food, music, bouncy castles and community connection. Before the day is over, every child receives a brand-new backpack filled with the supplies they need for the year ahead. Rice says the program began in 2002 after a family reached out for help with school supplies at the end of the summer. Shelley Johnson, who was then the executive director of Surrounded by Cedar, brought together several agencies to help. About 25 children were expected at the first event, but roughly 100 people showed up. Rice recalls a humble beginning, with a hibachi pulled from someone’s trunk and face paint left over from a birthday party. From there, the event grew. First to about 45 children, then 75. He says it now provides school supplies to about 3,500 students each year. Rice says the growing program reflects an ongoing need for families facing the rising costs associated with the return to school. “The burden of the cost of education shouldn’t ever be on the children’s shoulders,” Rice said. For children, Rice says, the beginning of the school year should be about reconnecting with friends, learning, playing and taking part in activities such as music and plays. “This is just about an exciting time of the year,” he said. Organizers are asking community members to help close the $5,000 funding gap with a one-time donation of $50 to $100 or by becoming a monthly donor. The fundraising deadline is Aug. 22.
