As the summer slowly winds down, we are reminded of the changing season: shorter days, lower temperatures, back-to-school events and advertisements everywhere we look. One of the staples of the back-to-school season in the Kansas City, Kansas area is the annual Kansas City Kansas Public School District Back to School Fair. For nearly a quarter of a century, this fair has been a treasured resource for families across Wyandotte County. It was an honor and a source of immense pleasure for Caritas Clinics to participate for the first time as a community partner.

The 24th Annual KCKPS Back to School Fair was held on August 5, 2023, at the KCKPS Central Office in Kansas City, Kansas. Partners from across Wyandotte County came together to help students from across the county by distributing backpacks for school, vision and hearing screenings, vaccinations, physicals, and provide access to valuable community resource information. Volunteers from Caritas Clinics were on-site offering physicals, blood pressure screenings, anti-bullying resources, parent and child resiliency skills building and information about our clinic. It is estimated by organizers that at least 3000 students received help throughout the course of the fair.

Family is an important part of our identity at Caritas Clinics. Many of our patients and caregivers have school-aged children or family members, and events like this fair go a long way in strengthening our relationship and mission throughout the county.

This was Caritas’ maiden voyage into our community outreach initiative, the first of various resiliency events that our organization will participate in. Improving the health of the entire community we serve, not just the health of our patients, is a vital part of the Caritas Clinics mission. What better way to begin our community outreach efforts than to help students across the county start their school year on a positive note and help families shoulder the financial and emotional burden inherent with the back-to-school hustle.