Approximately 1,000 children and family members gathered Saturday, August 8th, for Valley Health’s annual Blast Off to a Healthy Year Back-to-School Event, a free community celebration held in conjunction with National Health Center Week.
The event brought together families from across the region for a day of health, education, and fun while helping prepare children for a successful school year. Valley Health distributed 330 backpacks filled with school supplies, along with valuable community resources, free haircuts, lunch, interactive STEM activities, games, health education, and opportunities to connect with more than 40 community organizations.
“At Valley Health, our mission is to improve the health and well-being of the communities we serve,” said Dr. Mathew Weimer, President and CEO of Valley Health. “National Health Center Week is an opportunity to put that mission into action through outreach that extends beyond our health centers. Seeing nearly 1,000 members of our community come together reminds us of the impact we can make when organizations, volunteers, and community partners unite to support local families.”
Children enjoyed hands-on science demonstrations, stomp rockets, a portable planetarium, inflatables, face painting, a mascot dance-off, a dunk tank, music, games, and dozens of door prize giveaways throughout the afternoon. Families also had the opportunity to learn more about Valley Health’s healthcare services and connect with organizations offering resources to support children and families throughout the year.
“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to meet the needs of our community in such a meaningful way,” said Jess Trader, Director of Marketing and Public Relations for Valley Health. “Our goal was to help children start the school year healthy, confident, and prepared, and the incredible turnout shows just how important events like this are. We are grateful to our sponsors, volunteers, employees, and community partners who made this day possible.”
To ensure additional children benefit from the program, the remaining backpacks have been filled with school supplies and will be distributed through Valley Health’s School-Based Health Centers serving communities throughout the region. This effort extends the impact of the event and helps reach students who were unable to attend.
Valley Health extends its sincere appreciation to the many organizations whose generosity made the event possible.
Presenting Sponsors
- WSAZ Children’s Charities
- Redman Bingo
Community Sponsors
- West Virginia Health Services
- Huntington Mall
- Benco
- Chick-fil-A
- UTZ
- FoodFair
- Little Caesars
- Frost Top
- Walmart
- Floyd’s Produce
- Camden Park
- Wendy’s
- Huntington Museum of Art
- COSI
- Cincinnati Zoo
- Highlands Museum
- Louisville Zoo
- Oriental Trading
- Lesage Water
- Henry Schein
- Sam’s Club
Valley Health also extends its heartfelt thanks to the more than 40 community partners, countless volunteers, and dedicated employees whose time, generosity, and commitment helped make this year’s Blast Off to a Healthy Year event one of the organization’s largest and most successful community outreach efforts.