Getting a good start to the school year can be one key to success, whether it’s having the proper school supplies, or ensuring a student doesn’t incur absences due to the lack of required medical checks. The Back to School Health, Career, and Resource Fair is intended to help District 205 families get off on the right foot.
This second annual fair is being put on by the Elmhurst Resource Collaboration (ERC), a consortium of local agencies and school personnel concerned with the welfare of Elmhurst’s more vulnerable families. The fair will be held on Saturday, Aug. 6 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the York High School Field House. It is free and open to the public.
More than 100 local agencies will be present at the fair either to provide families with valuable information or to provide services needed to start the school year.
For example, in the health section, families will have the opportunity to get hearing and vision checks through Midwestern University and the Lions Club. Mobile Care Chicago will provide physicals and immunizations. The DuPage County Health Departments “Smile Squad” will be there for dental checks. Sixteen agencies in all will be on site to address the physical and mental health needs of students.
Representatives from the schools will be available to talk parents through the registration process and make sure they will have all they need for the district’s official registration days.
Students will also have the chance to stock up on supplies for the year. We Pop Up will be passing out donated school supplies. The Clothes Closet run by the First Methodist Church will have free gently used spirit wear for all the schools, and Warm Coats for Cool Kids will get kids signed up to receive a warm coat as winter approaches.
The career section of the fair will help students thinking about what’s next after high school. Representatives from the trades, professions, and the military will be on hand to talk to students about their futures.
Personnel from both the Mexican and Guatemalan Consulates will help families with legal or other affairs associated with their immigration status.
Both public and private resources abound in DuPage County, and the fair will strive to connect families to all those resources, so they have all they need to help their children thrive.
