The Kiwanis Club of Kent and Communities in Schools of Kent are teaming up with the Kent Parks Department to have a backpack and school supplies giveaway for elementary school students in the Kent School District.

The Kent Parks Department will host a barbecue at Tot Lot No. 1 and will hand out backpacks filled with school supplies to every student who shows up.

Details as follows:

Event:  Kent Parks Dept. Playground Program Community Barbecue and FREE backpack & school supplies give-away to elementary-aged kids

Date: Thursday, August 20^th

Time: 1-4 pm

Place: Kent Tot Lot #1 (downtown Kent, corner of First and West Crow)

For more information:  contact Janet Stebbins (253) 709-9559 or Dave Hobbs (253) 347-1115

Kiwanis Tot Lot #1, located on the corner of First Avenue and West Crow Street, is one of the sites of Kent Parks’ summer playground program. A nice surprise awaits participating children this season – a brand new playground – and they will get to cut the ribbon when Mayor Suzette Cooke officially dedicates the playground at 1:00 PM on Thursday, July 2.

The City of Kent originally acquired the park property in 1949.  In 1965, the Kiwanis Club helped develop the park by purchasing and installing some play equipment.  Additional play structures were installed in 1977 and replacement play equipment in 1995, which is fairly typical of a playground’s “life cycle.”

Kent Parks served as the host of a WRPA (Washington Recreation & Park Association)- sponsored class that gave parks staff from other cities the opportunity to participate in a two-day playground installation.  Funded by a Community Development Block Grant, this project also includes the renovation of the basketball court, installation of a plaza area for the summer playground program and fencing.