Houston Back-to-School Block Party helps thousands of families prepare for new school year
Houston stars host free giveaway
Thousands of Houston-area families packed the parking lot outside Johnny Dang & Co. Sunday for an annual back-to-school block party aimed at making sure students have the supplies — and encouragement — they need before heading back to class.
HOUSTON - Thousands of Houston-area families packed the parking lot outside Johnny Dang & Co. Sunday for an annual back-to-school block party aimed at making sure students have the supplies — and encouragement — they need before heading back to class.
Johnny Dang, rapper Paul Wall and Ja’Leah Davis with Eyeconic Television presented the event, which featured free school supplies, food, music, games, health checks, haircuts and other activities for families. The official event listing also promoted a free community concert and family resources.
Organizers estimated roughly 3,000 children and family members came through the event, with approximately 2,000 backpacks available to give away along with school supplies.
But organizers said the day was about more than handing out backpacks.
Several performers, rappers, artists, streamers and other recognizable faces took part, giving children a chance to meet people they may already look up to. Organizers said they wanted those guests to use their success to reinforce a bigger message: stay focused, stay in school and understand that education can be part of building the future students dream about.
Johnny Dang and Paul Wall share their stories
Dang and Paul Wall both spoke about their journeys and the work it took to reach the level of success they have today.
During Sunday’s event, Dang shared part of his family history and encouraged children not to give up on themselves, telling them to dream big and reminding them they could one day become successful — or even a "big baller" — themselves.
Paul Wall also encouraged students to keep dreaming. He talked about growing up with a mother who worked as a teacher for more than 30 years and said that connection has made education especially important to him.
Wall told children that he continued to dream big throughout his own life and believes God continued showing him that his dreams could become even bigger.
Both men said their accomplishments also come with a responsibility to give back and show young people that success is possible, while emphasizing that students still need to put in the work and get their education.
Families say giveaways make a difference
For some of the families FOX 26 spoke with, the backpacks and school supplies were more than an added bonus.
Parents said rising costs have made preparing multiple children for school increasingly difficult.
One single mother told FOX 26 she is living paycheck to paycheck and said without the giveaway, her children may have had to start school and wait another week before she could afford to purchase everything they needed.
Other parents and children shared similar stories, saying the event helped take some of the financial pressure off their families ahead of the first day of school.
Community partners help bring event together
Event organizer Ja’Leah Davis with Eyeconic Television said the back-to-school event has continued to grow because businesses, community leaders, entertainers and volunteers have learned how to work together.
Davis said organizers have been putting on the event for about six years and each year it continues to get bigger. Her goal is to keep expanding the effort and helping even more families prepare for school.
Construction crews also played an important role behind the scenes. EBD Contracting helped build out the event setup and assisted with logistics and safety as thousands of people moved through the property.
Davis said the event could not happen without all of the different organizations working together cohesively.
State and city leaders highlight economic struggles
Texas State Representative Ron Reynolds, who represents House District 27 in Fort Bend County, also attended the event.
Reynolds spoke about the financial pressure many families are facing and said events like this can provide meaningful relief for parents trying to stretch their household budgets while preparing children for another school year.
Several other local leaders also attended, including city representatives and community partners who organizers said helped bring the event together.
Davis credited City Council member Edward Pollard, of District J, also known as "J City" as another major part of organizing and supporting the event.
By bringing elected leaders, businesses, entertainers and community organizations into one space, organizers said they hope families leave with more than backpacks.
They want children to see successful people from their own community, hear how those people reached their goals and understand that their own dreams are possible too.
For Dang, Wall and the organizers, the message was simple: dream big, stay focused and stay in school.