Back-to-School Fun at Cascades Crossing: Backpack Giveaway and First Annual Soccer Tournament

Guest Author: Karina Jurado, Resident Resources Admin, Gates Hudson

On Thursday, August 13th, Cascades Crossing hosted a full afternoon of resident engagement ahead of the new school year, headlined by our 2nd Annual Back-to-School Backpack Giveaway and our first-ever Soccer Tournament. The turnout was wonderful, and it was a joy to see so many families come together to celebrate the community.

2nd Annual Back-to-School Backpack Giveaway

For the second consecutive year, Cascades Crossing hosted our Back-to-School Backpack Giveaway to help local families prepare for the new school year. This year, we were excited to provide a total of 50 backpacks to children in our community, each filled with school supplies they could use throughout the year.

It was wonderful to see the children’s excitement as they selected their backpacks and got ready to head back to school. The event also gave us an opportunity to connect with families and share additional resources with our residents. As part of our outreach efforts, we included Esusu flyers and Solar Program flyers in each backpack so families could learn more about additional programs and resources available to them.

1st Annual Cascades Crossing Soccer Tournament

Following the backpack giveaway, we hosted our first Cascades Crossing Soccer Tournament. This new community activity gave children and families an opportunity to enjoy friendly competition, stay active, and spend quality time together.

To make the tournament enjoyable for different age groups, we organized two separate games, and a total of 26 kids participated:

• Elementary School Game: Our younger residents took the field first for an energetic game filled with teamwork and excitement.
• Middle School Game: Our older children took the field for the second game, bringing their competitive spirit and enthusiasm to the tournament.

Splitting the tournament into two age groups meant every child could play at a level suited to them, and both groups had a great time.

A Sweet Celebration After the Games

After the soccer tournament, we kept the celebration going with ice cream, cold water, and fresh watermelon for the children and families. It was wonderful to see families cheering for the children, enjoying the activities, and spending time together as a community.

Special Thanks to Our Community Partners

A special thank you to our generous community partners who helped make these events possible. We sincerely appreciate the support and donations from Deep Cleaning Services, American Pest, and Meridian Landscaping LLC. Their generosity helped us provide backpacks and school supplies to our residents.

We would also like to give a special thank you to Delvy for providing school supplies to Cascades Crossing.