Back-to-School Bonanza Draws Hundreds

ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich., Aug. 11, 2015 - Hundreds of schoolchildren and their parents lined up on Saturday for the fourth annual Back-to-School Bonanza, which provided free goods and services to low-income schoolchildren to help ready them for the return to school.

Organized by the nonprofit KidzKare and with the support of lead sponsors DTE Energy, Five Star Singles Connection and Par Pharmaceutical as well as many community partners and volunteers, the Back-to-School Bonanza at West Middle School in Rochester Hills offered free school supplies and health services for needy kids. Conceived by pediatrician Jay Mitchell M.D., who recently left his practice to focus full time on helping low-income kids, the event aims to help address the issue of suburban poverty, since more than 2/3 of the nation’s poverty increase since 2000 has occurred in the suburbs -- even those typically thought of as “wealthy.” Mitchell intends to grow the event and to offer it as a model for other suburban communities in serving their neediest residents.

Additional sponsors include Huntington Ford, Meridian Health Plan and the Rochester Area Optimist Club. Event partners are Rochester Area Neighborhood House, Assistance League of Southeastern Michigan, Rochester Community Schools, Rochester Avon Recreation Authority, Providence Family Medicine Residency, Kidz1st, Oakland University, Crittenton Hospital, Oakland County, Oakland Schools, Ashley’s Bridge, Common Ground, Upper Room, Rochester Area Youth Assistance, Whole Foods Market, Detroit Pistons and the Olive Garden.

For information about this and other KidzKare programs, visit www.kidzkare.net.