Giveaway supplies Valley kids with necessary tools for school

Despite the economy, more churches have stepped up their contributions.

YOUNGSTOWN — Tyler Opsitnik isn’t quite ready for his summer vacation to end and school to start, but his face lighted up when he saw the first sign of the new academic year: free school supplies.

“Yeah!” said Tyler, 8, when asked if he was excited to receive a backpack filled with paper, notebooks, pens and other necessities.

Tyler and his mother, Liz Opsitnik of Youngstown, were among several hundred youngsters and parents who came to Saturday’s backpack and school supplies giveaway at Wick Park on the city’s North Side.

“It’s nice that the community is offering this for families,” Liz Opsitnik said, adding that she heard about the two-hour event through Mahoning County Department of Job & Family Services.

The City Prayer Team, Mahoning Valley Youth Collaborative and The Jerico Project, along with several other agencies and churches in Mahoning and Trumbull counties, teamed up for the effort, the main purpose of which was to assist Valley families sending their youngsters back to school. Also funding the event was the Raymond J. Wean Foundation.

A goal of the giveaway, which operated on a first come, first served basis, was to distribute 1,000 backpacks filled with supplies such as folders, glue sticks, colored pencils, crayons and protractors, organizers said.

Another happy recipient of a free backpack was 8-year-old Giselle Morgan of Youngstown, who came with her grandmother Nikki Parchia.

Visiting Southern Park Mall in Boardman, playing with her dog and spending time with friends and relatives were some of the ways Giselle has spent her summer. Also on the horizon is a train trip with several family members to Boston, where she will serve in early September as a flower girl in a cousin’s wedding.

Like Tyler, Giselle isn’t ready to see summer end. Nevertheless, she left the event with needed supplies to start the school year — along with an extra supply of excitement and appreciation.

The giveaway, however, was about more than priming youngsters for school, Parchia noted.

“I love it. It’s actually God at work,” she said. “It’s heartwarming to see a ministry care about the people of Youngstown.

“The ministry is beyond the walls of the church; it’s out with the people.”

Live inspirational music and messages filled the air as people lined up 50 at a time to enter the Wick Park Recreational Building and receive their backpacks. Also on hand were a prayer table, a disc jockey and a table containing information from Operation Keepsake, a Cleveland-based group whose primary goal is to encourage young people to make good relationship choices, with an emphasis on sexual abstinence before marriage.

Two representatives from the organization distributed literature on topics such as the HIV virus, as well as ways parents can become more adept at and comfortable talking to their children about sex and making healthful decisions. Operation Keepsake personnel visit more than 30 area schools, targeting those in grades five through 12.

Members of the youth collaborative and others volunteered to prepare and give away free hot dogs, popcorn and soft drinks.

Despite the difficult economy and greater number of struggling Valley residents, monetary and material donations from area churches for this year’s event were up, causing a surplus of merchandise, noted Linda Daniels, director of the City Prayer Team.

More than 400 backpacks were prepared for youngsters in preschool through grade four; about 540 were available to those in grades seven through 12, with a few for college students, Daniels explained.

“The children are enjoying it,” she added. “Everything we do is for the children.”

The Jerico Project started the giveaway, and the City Prayer Team got onboard about five years ago. This was the first year that the collaboration has been this extensive, Daniels noted.

The other agencies were the Alliance Community Outreach Program of Warren, the YMCA of Trumbull County, Organizacion Civica y Cultural Hispana Americana, Girl Scouts of Northeast Ohio, Warriors Inc., United Methodist Community Center on the city’s East Side, and Inspiring Minds.

Saturday’s giveaway is one example of how the agencies intend to streamline their efforts for more such programs to reach a wider swath of the community, explained Charlene W. Allen, executive director of ACOP.

Another similar program is set to begin at 10 a.m. next Saturday at the Warren Amphitheater, Allen said.