[NOTE: Just before close of business we were informed by event organizers that possible impending severe weather could interfere with this event.  IF L’OBSERVATEUR receives word that  the event would be cancelled, postponed, or otherwise changed, we will inform readers via this website, lobservateur.com, and our Facebook page]

GARYVILLE — Knowing St. John the Baptist Parish families usually have access to backpack and school supply giveaways as summer break draws to an end, board members of the Victor Sanders Foundation looked for other routes to give back.

“We wanted to do something that was different than the normal back to school bash,” board member Nadia Rosary said. “We wanted (to provide) something that parents still sometimes struggle to get.”

Approximately 500 fully stocked hygiene bags will be distributed at the Inaugural Victor Sanders Foundation Back to School Bash, tentatively scheduled from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday in Garyville. The event time and date may change due to impending weather conditions. More information will be available this week at lobservateur.com and on the Victor Sanders Foundation Facebook page.

The event, slated to take place at the Ezekiel Jackson/Victor Sanders Memorial Park at 130 Historic Main Street, will feature free pizza from Papa John’s and Domino’s, hotdogs, face painting and music.

Organizers are working to secure spacewalks for children.

Personal hygiene bags stocked with combs, brushes, deodorant, soap, toothpaste and lotions are available to students in kindergarten through 12^th grade.

Identification is required, and a parent must be present. All bags will be given away on a first come, first served basis.

Rosary is hopeful the 2019 Back to School Bash will become an annual event.

According to Rosary, the Victor Sanders Foundation was formed in 2018 on the 20^th anniversary year of her father’s death.

A well-respected baseball coach in the Garyville area, Sanders is remembered for his dedication to uniting local neighborhoods through community ball.

“The Victor Sanders Foundation is created in our father’s legacy,” Rosary said. “When we decided to form the foundation, we thought our best bet was to go back to Garyville and give back to let the community know we still care about them.”

A focus on sports will help drive the future of the Foundation, according to Rosary.

“Our goal is to mainly find a way to get the youth involved in more than what they are doing now,” Rosary said. “Because of our father’s time and effort was put mainly to sports, sports will be one of our biggest focuses. We definitely want to tap back into having community sports.”

Rosary said community sports offer youth more recreational opportunities outside of Parish-wide recreational sports.

Rosary said she and her siblings remember the bonds they forged playing sports as children. Even as some siblings have moved away, none have forgotten where they came from.

Other planned community initiatives include Thanksgiving and Christmas giveaways, in addition to scholarships for deserving high school students.

Rosary extends a warm “thank you” to Back to School Bash sponsors Marathon Petroleum Company, United Way, Wal-Mart, Rainbow Chevrolet, Bayou Ford and New Wine Christian Fellowship.