New donated back-to-school backpacks brighten students’ day

Ready or not the first day of school is fast approaching and families are busy squeezing in some last minute summer fun among the annual ritual of getting ready for a new school year.

Part of the preparation includes stocking up on school supplies. This year the effort was made easier for families at the Carl L. Dixson Primary School.

Thanks to a new partnership between the Elmsford Police Department and the Heavenly Productions Foundation, a non-profit organization based in Armonk, NY, every student in the Pre-K through first grade school received a free backpack and notebook. The generosity did not end there, as the organization also provided the school with 60 new books for its library and a cache of school supplies for the classrooms including pencils, pens, crayons, art supplies and more.

Excited students and their parents gathered in the Dixson gym on a warm summer day to collect their new backpacks. Students were able to choose from a variety of colors and were also given a new composition notebook. Members of the EPD were on hand to pass backpacks out, along with school administrators and members of the board of education. Board members from the foundation also lent a hand. In a matter of minutes, each student walked out of the school building with a brand new pack and a smile on their face.

“This is a special event. In my experience it really is only something that happens in Elmsford,” Dixson Principal Jeffrey Olender told those gathered. “It’s an event that only happens when you have partnerships that are community based.”

Dr. Kathy Reilly Fallon, founder and chair of Heavenly Productions Foundation, said Elmsford police officer Doug Ramirez, who is also a trustee on the board of education, contacted her organization which is known for their Backpack Outreach program. They were only too happy to help.

“To see the looks on the kids’ faces, that is what makes it all worthwhile,” Dr. Fallon said. “The hope is it gets people off to the right foot.”

“This is absolutely amazing,” Superintendent Dr. Marc Baiocco said.

The foundation was begun in 2003 and since that time has donated 11,300 backpacks to children throughout the region and even as far away as Jamaica and Africa.