{"id":395161,"date":"2026-08-02T01:46:10","date_gmt":"2026-08-02T01:46:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/395161\/"},"modified":"2026-08-02T01:46:10","modified_gmt":"2026-08-02T01:46:10","slug":"dallas-county-city-wide-back-to-school-bash-helps-hundreds-of-families-prepare-for-first-day-of-school","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/395161\/","title":{"rendered":"Dallas County City-Wide Back-to-School Bash helps hundreds of families prepare for first day of school"},"content":{"rendered":"

SELMA, Ala. (WSFA<\/a>) – Hundreds of Dallas County families packed Selma\u2019s Riverfront Amphitheater Saturday for the second annual Dallas County City-Wide Back-to-School Bash, where students received everything from backpacks and school supplies to shoes, uniforms and, for the first time, Bibles.<\/p>\n

The event brought together the City of Selma, Selma City Schools, Dallas County Schools, churches, nonprofit organizations, local businesses and volunteers with one shared mission: ensuring children start the school year prepared. Long before the event officially began, families were already lining up outside the amphitheater.<\/p>\n

Volunteer organizer Lydia Chatmon, city center director for the Selma Center for Nonviolence, Truth and Reconciliation, said the turnout reflects both the community\u2019s need and the willingness of organizations to work together. \u201cWe\u2019re grateful for all of the organizations that have come together and for the leadership of Ms. Purifoy and everything that she has done to make this countywide back-to-school bash a success,\u201d Chatmon said.<\/p>\n

She said many families are forced to make difficult financial decisions as the cost of everyday necessities continues to rise. \u201cPeople are literally having to choose between whether they\u2019re investing in school supplies and clothes or paying their rent or purchasing gas,\u201d Chatmon said. \u201cFamilies are having to make some hard decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n

To help ease that burden, families left with backpacks, notebooks, uniforms, shoes, hygiene products, classroom supplies and other essentials. Children also enjoyed bounce houses, face painting, free popcorn, hot dogs, water and juice while parents visited resource booths throughout the event.<\/p>\n

A teacher\u2019s vision becomes a countywide effort<\/p>\n

The event was created by fourth-grade teacher Shereva Purifoy, who said the idea came after seeing firsthand what many of her students lacked when arriving at school. \u201cIt was a vision from God,\u201d Purifoy said. \u201cI\u2019m a fourth-grade teacher, and I see firsthand the needs that kids have. I knew my school wasn\u2019t the only school in the district that had needs, so why not do it citywide?\u201d<\/p>\n

Purifoy said students were able to receive nearly everything they need to begin the school year. \u201cUniforms, supplies, hygiene products, shoes, backpacks \u2014 whatever your child needs, we got it,\u201d she said. She believes helping students feel prepared can also help them feel more confident walking into the classroom. \u201cWhen kids have everything that they need, when they walk into school with those new shoes and new clothes, they\u2019re ready. They\u2019re excited,\u201d Purifoy said.<\/p>\n

As a teacher, she also had a message for students preparing to return to class: \u201cGet your mind right, be prepared, be ready to learn because you\u2019re going to need it in the future to be whatever you decide to be. Just give it your all.\u201d<\/p>\n

City leaders say partnerships make a difference<\/p>\n

Selma City Councilwoman Lesia James said the event is about removing barriers that can distract students from learning. \u201cWhen a child has what they need, they can learn,\u201d James said. \u201cThey don\u2019t have to go to school thinking about having a pencil, having paper, having clothes. We\u2019re providing it for them today so they can focus on learning.\u201d<\/p>\n

James said the event also provides much-needed financial relief for parents. \u201cThe economy is really at a crunch now,\u201d she said. \u201cSome parents are working, some are not, and some still can\u2019t meet their needs. We\u2019re providing essentials that students need like clothing, pencils, paper, shoes, and we\u2019re feeding families today.\u201d<\/p>\n

To make sure as many families as possible received assistance, organizers implemented a ticket system that allowed visitors to receive items from multiple booths while helping supplies reach more people. James estimated the event served at least 1,000 families. She said those partnerships also help local school systems by reducing some of the demand for back-to-school resources. \u201cWhen all these people partner together, it makes the workload lighter on our school systems,\u201d James said.<\/p>\n

Families feel the impact<\/p>\n

For Burkesa Sullivan, a single mother of three, the event provided more than just school supplies. \u201cIt\u2019s a relief to me being a single mom of three,\u201d Sullivan said. She estimates she normally spends well over $100 on school supplies for her children. \u201cToday\u2019s event decreased that amount tremendously,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Her daughter, Theorie Sullivan, left with school supplies and a backpack and said she feels ready for fifth grade. \u201cI\u2019m happy that I had the opportunity to come here,\u201d Theorie said. \u201cI feel more prepared for school.\u201d<\/p>\n

More than a giveaway<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s event also introduced a new initiative to place a Bible in the hands of every child who wanted one. Chatmon said while the school supplies are important, the event represents something much bigger. \u201cThere has been a narrative that Selma doesn\u2019t come together,\u201d she said. \u201cThis actually dispels that myth.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said organizations, churches, city leaders, civic groups and volunteers all worked side by side to make the event possible. \u201cIf we really are saying that we want a better society, a better America and a better Selma, then we have to come together,\u201d Chatmon said. \u201cThis event is among those occurring in our community to reinforce that idea.\u201d<\/p>\n

Organizers say they hope to build on this year\u2019s success and are already encouraging additional businesses, churches and community organizations to partner with them for next year\u2019s Dallas County City-Wide Back-to-School Bash.<\/p>\n

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Copyright 2026 WSFA. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SELMA, Ala. (WSFA) – Hundreds of Dallas County families packed Selma\u2019s Riverfront Amphitheater Saturday for the second annual…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":395162,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[2895,53018,135130,138979,138978,102,581,138981,104,103,440,223,366,138980,9875,9874],"class_list":["post-395161","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-dallas","tag-alabama","tag-annual","tag-back-to-school-bash","tag-city-of-selma","tag-city-wide","tag-dallas","tag-dallas-county","tag-dallas-county-schools","tag-dallas-headlines","tag-dallas-news","tag-event","tag-news","tag-selma","tag-selma-city-schools","tag-wfsa","tag-wsfa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/395161","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=395161"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/395161\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/395162"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=395161"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=395161"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=395161"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}