The Dream Center’s annual Back-to-School Bash is happening on July 29 at the Dream Center campus blacktop in Echo Park. In partnership with presenting sponsor Kershaw’s Challenge, and Signature Partner the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation, the highly anticipated annual event will take place at the Dream Center campus, where 2,500 backpacks and various other school supplies will be given to children to help them prepare for the upcoming school year.

This free community event will be open to the public. Backpacks and materials will be available while supplies last and are provided on a first come, first serve basis.

Details for the day are as follows:

• WHO: The Los Angeles Dream Center, Kershaw’s Challenge, and the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation
• WHERE: 2301 Bellevue Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90026
• WHAT: Back-to-School Bash and school supply giveaway for children and families
• WHEN: July 29 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. 

Los Angeles Dodgers’ pitcher Clayton Kershaw will be there for the festivities, and he will be available at 9:45 a.m. for 10 minutes for media opportunities before passing out backpacks.

Dream Center co-founder Matthew Barnett and Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation CEO Nichol Whiteman will be available for interviews as well.

“Thanks to the help and contributions of our generous sponsors, the Back-to-School Bash will not only provide students with new materials and supplies, but will excite and motivate students for the new school year that’s just around the corner,” said Barnett. “The more we do as good neighbors for the young people around us, to equip them with some of the basic tools they need to succeed, the better chance they have to reach their full potential and help build a strong community here in Los Angeles. We love this time of year. It’s energetic, it’s exciting, and these kids we’re helping will be the next generation of leaders we need to make a tremendous difference in the world!”

“We are halfway through the baseball season, which also means that another school year is about to start,” Clayton Kershaw said. “We can’t think of a better way to kick off the second half of baseball than by joining hands with the Dream Center for another Back to School Bash. We have four kids of our own, so we understand the excitement of a new school year and also the needs that come with it. Our friends at the Dream Center do such an incredible job of equipping kids and their families for another school year. It’s really a joy for Kershaw’s Challenge to partner with them again this year. Our family is excited to come out on July 29th to meet kids and pass out backpacks. It is an event our family looks forward to every year.”

“Kershaw’s Challenge has been a tremendous partner and collaborator in providing at-risk children safe havens to play and learn throughout Los Angeles,” said Nichol Whiteman, CEO of the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation. “We’re thrilled to help provide the necessary resources for academic success during the 10^th annual Back-to-School Bash, so every child can thrive regardless of their zip code.”

This year, the Dream Center is also providing a number of other fun activities, including a petting zoo, a Ferris wheel, and a water slide. UCLA Health will also have volunteers at the Dream Center campus that day to provide dental, nursing, and other healthcare services.

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(Article Courtesy of LA Dodgers)

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