OBSERVER Photo by Mary Heyl Mayor Willie Rosas congratulated Chautauqua Center Recruiting/Marketing Specialist Alicia Ekstrom on another successful Family Fun Day at the Salvation Army on Central Avenue on Thursday.

It was hard to miss the long line of families that spanned nearly two blocks of Central Avenue on Thursday for The Chautauqua Center’s Family Fun Day. This ever-growing annual event, which took place from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Salvation Army Church, included a backpack/school supplies give-away, music, food, games and almost 40 vendors inside the church’s gymnasium.

According to TCC CEO Michael Pease,“We started this in 2014 and the first year, we gave out about 50 backpacks. Today, we’ve already given away 200. We’re anticipating we’ll probably give away 500 backpacks or more today with school supplies in them.”

The backpacks and supplies are purchased by TCC each year, but Pease explained that many vendors contributed this year, as well. “We’ve had multiple people that have told us in past years that they just can’t afford the cost of school supplies. It’s getting more expensive each year…We had one mom that came through this morning and she had six children. I just can’t imagine what getting ready for the school year costs for her.”

According to Alicia Ekstrom, TCC recruiting/marketing specialist, more than 500 backpacks were given away last year, and the line in front of the church was steady all day. She added, “We have 35 to 40 local organizations that are here with information about their services. We’ve partnered with the Salvation Army for our event today, and of course we’re here to share information about what our organization provides. The Chautauqua Center provides dental services, behavioral health services and primary care services for all ages. We don’t turn anyone away. We accept everyone, no matter what their insurance, and if they don’t have insurance, we offer assistance in helping families get that as well. We’re pretty much a one-stop shop.”

Mayor Willie Rosas attended the event and was pleased with the impressive turnout.

“I think it’s just wonderful to see community members coming out. Kids are beginning to look like they’re excited to get back to school. The Chautauqua Center does this annually, and I’ve been attending every year since I’ve been in office and the event continues to grow,” said Rosas. In fact, this year’s event has grown so much that Rosas recommended moving the venue back to Washington Park. “I think that venue has more room and may be a better choice. Right now we have some parking issues — but that’s a good thing that we have so many people that came out.”

Inside the gymnasium, 38 vendors were set up to provide information to community members. Organizations included Cassadaga Job Corps, Catholic Charities, Cornell Cooperative Extension, Head Start, Hillside Children’s Center, Roswell Park, St. Gianna’s Pregnancy Outreach Center and more. Representatives from area colleges were set up, including Jamestown Business College, who promoted their bilingual programs in particular. Assemblyman Andy Goodell was inside the gymnasium, as well, greeting families and talking to representatives of the many organizations set up inside.

In addition to flyers and the OBSERVER, the event was promoted on TCC’s Facebook page, and families definitely took notice.

“We had people here this morning at 10:15 and they knew we didn’t open until 1 p.m. They waited the whole time. They wanted to make sure they got a backpack,” said Pease. “Even though we’re a healthcare organization, we consider ourselves a community asset — that’s why we do things like this. You can’t have healthy kids if you have to worry about how you’re going to pay for food, how you’re going to buy clothes or school supplies…Unfortunately, we have way too many people who are in those situations every day. We try to help in any way that we can.”