Yankees, NYPS, Bronx Community Foundation host Back-to-School Resource Fair

On Tuesday, the Yankees partnered with New York City Public Schools and the Bronx Community Foundation to host a Back-to-School Resource Fair for families and students in Bronx School District 7 and Bronx School District 9.

More than 20 organizations participated, providing resources to students and families, including city programs, non-profit organizations and corporations. Students took home a Yankees backpack with school supplies in addition to supplies distributed by each partner organization.

“After coming out of a pandemic, we recognize we have mental health needs, food needs, housing needs, parents are thinking about college,” said Dr. Meisha Porter, president and CEO of the Bronx Community Foundation. “We need to bring together all of the resources that fit in the bag that you carry home with you, to help your child and your family get the year off to a great start.”

The event didn’t just provide students with print resources. Many medical organizations came together at the event to work with students on-site.

The American Red Cross set up CPR dummies to encourage students to get CPR-certified. Optical Academy provided free eye exams and NYC Health&Hospitals/Lincoln set up an immunization clinic so students could sign up to receive vaccines they may need before the start of school.

“Healthcare is at a premium to where there's tremendous disparities in health care,” said Cheryl Simmons-Oliver, associate executive director of NYC Health&Hospitals/Lincoln. “The children that are coming here will have a head start, and that's what this is all about. Partnering with the Yankees to be able to offer immunization to hundreds and thousands of children is an essential component to ensuring the health needs of our families.”

Yankee Stadium is located inside Community School District 9 and borders Bronx School District 7.

“We're a neighbor, and we want to be a productive neighbor in our community. And that's what we're doing here today,” said Yankees vice president of community relations Brian Smith. “We engage our neighbors, we listen to our neighbors and we work with them to make a difference.”

The Yankees host a number of events with the school districts, including last year’s science fair. In May, they honored more than 10,000 Bronx students for Bronx Education All-Star Day.

The lines for the Resource Fair were out the door -- so much so that the event started early in order to accommodate the number of students and families who had come for the event.

“What makes it really powerful is that the Yankees are this global organization,” Community School District 9 superintendent Harry Sherman said. “They're recognizable. They represent winning, they represent excellence and for the children in the community, to see that partnership, [to] know that the Yankees are not just this team that plays here, but they are a part of the community…

“That means a lot to the kids that come in and show up that these are their heroes. And that this is this big, gleaming representation of everything that the Yankees stand for, that they're there for them as well.”