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Balm Mission Gets Children Ready For School

Tribune photo by JULIE BUSCH

Biseida Deleon gets a quick dental exam by Dr. Steven Shapiro at the Good Samaritan Mission in Balm during the back-to-school event at the mission.

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By JOHN CEBALLOS

The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 12, 2008

Updated:

BALM - With summer vacation coming to a close, the Good Samaritan Mission helped children get ready for the upcoming school year Aug. 4 during its Back to School Fair.

"We get a lot of people at the mission every week, but this fair is one of our more popular annual events," said Laura Cruz, the mission's caregiving minister youth leader.

Cruz's parents, William and Dora, founded the mission, at 14920 Balm-Wimauma Road, more than 25 years ago.

This is the eighth year the couple has operated the current version of the fair, but they have organized some sort of after-school drive since the mission was founded.

Hundreds of families visit the mission every week to receive donated clothing and food.

That's how many of the fair attendees learned of the event.

"My family and I come every Tuesday for the food giveaway and that's when they let us know about this event," said Roderico Vazquez of Ruskin, who brought his daughter and a nephew.

This year's event drew more than 1,000 students and parents who took advantage of backpack and school material giveaways.

Cruz said more than 900 backpacks were given away this year through the Hassle Free Backpack Program designed by Somebody Cares Tampa Bay, which is a network of community-based nonprofit agencies.

Manicures and informational sessions on dental hygiene also were offered during the event.

"Teaching the kids about dental health is definitely one of our goals today," said Kathy McGartland, the mission's special events director. "A lot of them have never had the chance to visit a dentist."

They each received a gift bag containing a toothbrush, floss and other dental care items. Sun City Center-based dentist Steven Shapiro also volunteered at the fair, giving each child a free dental cavity screening.

Students and adults were also welcome to receive a free haircut from stylists volunteering from several South Shore-based businesses.

"This has been a fun day, having everybody come in and get their hair cut," said Maria Elena Martinez of Riverview's En Vogue salon. "I'm thinking about starting to volunteer once a month."

Although some parents brought their children solely for the backpacks and school supplies, many took advantage of all the services offered to them.

"My kids got the full works today - backpack, teeth and hair," said Lucina Lopez of Riverview who brought her three children.

For information on the mission and its programs, call (813) 634-7136.

Reporter John Ceballos can be reached at (813) 865-1555 or jceballos@tampatrib.com.

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