Fort Huachuca, Arizona – More than 35 organizations gathered at the Maa Community Center on Thursday for this year’s back-to-school fair. The trade fair was dubbed “Information Roundup”, and many of the participating groups showed their spirit by wearing boots and cowboy hats.

School Liaison Officer Paula Smedes said the fair is a “one-stop shop to the many resources in our community.” She explained that the aim is to bring together many different organizations under one roof so that parents can learn about valuable resources and opportunities for their children.

“This gives every parent the opportunity to have the information they need for the upcoming school year,” she said.

The Fort Huachuca Accommodation School District and several local charter schools all had booths at the fair. Child Development Centers, Age Centers, and Youth Centers were represented, as well as Family, Morale, Welfare, and Recreational Youth Sports/SKIES, Community Youth Clubs, and the Sierra Vista Public Library. Representatives from the Raymond W. Bliss Army Health Center, Runnion Dental Clinic, and the Army Bank all had information to share with families.

“It was important for us to bring out different resources,” Smedes said. “That’s why we have a clinic. [the Exceptional Family Member Program] Here parents can get all the information they can think of as far as their children are concerned. ”

Some parents said that’s what made the fair so interesting. Kurt Legyon said he received important information from his bank, but it wasn’t what he expected to learn at the back-to-school fair.

“There are so many opportunities for children here.” [at the fair],” he said. [the bank] Help open a savings account for your child. ”

Anne Mere Dawson thanked us for providing so much information.

“We just got here, so it was a great opportunity to learn a lot.

“We literally just moved in,” she said. She said, “A new neighbor told me about this and said I should come.”

It was also the first time for Ally Fallon to participate.

“We transferred her in the middle of the school year. [last year]And we kind of felt a sense of loss,” she said. “This gives us the opportunity to find out about different groups and make sure we have all the information going on here.”

Fair attendees collected items such as pencils, water bottles and stress balls from many participating organizations and were able to register to win one of several backpacks filled with school supplies to be distributed.

(Editor’s Note: Additional photos are available online. 2023-07-20 New Semester Fair | Flickr. )

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Fort Huachuca is home to the U.S. Army Intelligence Center of Excellence, U.S. Army Network Enterprise Technology Command/9th Army Signal Command, and supports over 48 tenants representing a diverse and multidisciplinary workforce. Our unique environment includes 946 square miles of restricted airspace and 2,500 square miles of protected microwave ovens, which are critical elements of our national defense mission.

Located in Cochise County in southeastern Arizona, about 25 miles north of the Mexican border, Fort Huachuca is a frontier military installation with a rich history. Founded in 1877, the fort was designated a national landmark in 1976.

We are the home of the Army.Learn more about https://home.army.mil/huachuca/.