Thousands of Students Get School Supplies, Vaccinations, and More at Mayor's Back to School Fest HOUSTON - Mayor Sylvester Turner welcomed thousands of students and their families to the Eighth Annual Mayor’s Back 2 School Fest presented by Shell on Saturday, August 11 at the George R. Brown Convention Center.
The annual fest presented by Shell Oil Company provides economically disadvantaged Houston students in grades K-5 with free school supplies, immunizations, health screenings, haircut vouchers, underwear and other amenities. The event also connects families to a wide range of health and social services offered by community agencies. With one in four Texas children living in poverty, the Mayor’s Back 2 School Fest presented by Shell is focused on changing the future, one child at a time.
“Many Houston families simply can’t afford school supplies, said Mayor Turner. “I want to thank our sponsors for stepping up to the plate to help. Due to their generosity, thousands of kids will have the tools they need to start the school year off right.”
Approximately 25,000 students and their parents attended today's fest.
“As Founding, Presenting Sponsor, the Mayor’s Back 2 School Fest demonstrates the power of community, education and business working together to improve outcomes in student achievement,” said Frazier Wilson, Vice President, Shell Oil Company Foundation and Manager, Workforce & Diversity Outreach. “This year’s festival provided the opportunity to engage students and families through our partnership with the Texas Alliance for Minority Engineers, (TAME) and NASCAR. The TAME Trailblazer showcased STEM activities managed by Shell technical experts and our award winning Number 22 NASCAR and racing simulators generated excitement for participants while demonstrating innovative technology. We are proud to support efforts that strengthen our community and grow our future workforce.”
“The University of Houston is excited to once again host the Mayor’s Back 2 School Fest presented by Shell on our campus,” said UH President Renu Khator. “It is important that our young Houstonians go back to school healthy, prepared, and ready to learn. We hope their visit will inspire them to focus, study hard, graduate, and then come back and become Cougars! We are especially happy to note that Mayor Sylvester Turner is a UH alumnus, and we are proud to partner with him and the City of Houston on this important annual event.”
Participation in the fest was by advance registration only. Families who were not able to pre-register to participate in the event are advised to call the 2-1-1 United Way Helpline for referrals to community agencies offering back-to-school supplies and resources.
Event Sponsors & Supporters
Presenting Sponsor: Shell Oil Company. Host & Sponsor: Houston First. Sponsors: University of Houston; Undies For Everyone; Kroger; Texas Barber College; Walgreens; Comcast; CenterPoint Energy; MetroPCS; Kelsey-Seybold Clinic; A-MAX Insurance; TDECU; Fiesta; Enterprise; Legacy Community Health; Mothers Against Drunk Driving; Ventavia Research Group; Raising Cane’s; Sun Coast Resources; Caring for Children Foundation-Care Van Program; National Kidney Foundation; US Family Health Plan; Jetco Delivery; Tex Expo; Smart City; METRO; Summit Dental Center; Texas Exposition Services; Houston Food Bank; Delta Dental; Urs Logo; STS Brand; Houston Health Foundation; DentaQuest; Children's Museum of Houston. Media Partners: Greensheet Media; Telemundo; 89.3 KSBJ; Univision; Air1 103.7; CW39 Houston.
The Mayor’s Back 2 School Fest is an initiative of the Department of Neighborhoods in partnership with the Mayor’s Office of Special Events. For more information call 832-393-0868.
About Shell Oil Company
Shell Oil Company is an affiliate of the Royal Dutch Shell plc, a global group of energy and petrochemical companies with operations in more than 70 countries. In the U.S., Shell operates in 50 states and employs more than 20,000 people working to help tackle the challenges of the new energy future.
