Oakland A’s players to help pass out free backpacks to local schoolkids
on August 12, 2011
Back-to-school time will bring with it a special treat for Richmond school kids this year.
Two Oakland Athletics baseball players, All-Star starting pitcher Gio Gonzalez and relief pitcher Fautino De Los Santos, will be in Richmond on Tuesday, August 16 to hand out backpacks loaded with school supplies to local kids.
The event, “Backpacks 4 Their Future,” is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Richmond Police Activities League Gymnasium on 2200 Macdonald Avenue. Gonzalez and De Los Santos should arrive around noon, said Richmond Police Department spokesperson Nicole Abetkov.
“We are really excited to be able to help out with this,” Abetkov said. “The kids are going to love it.”
The event is made possible by several partners, led by Ellen Ellery, KTVU News executive, who served as the chief organizer and fundraiser, Abetkov said. Donations were put up by utilities company PG&E, the Oakland A’s franchise, the Richmond PAL and the Richmond police officers’ and managers’ unions.
Each backpack will contain a binder, pencils, erasers, pens, markers, crayons, a pencil box, glue, rulers, scissors and a water bottle. Crime prevention literature and information about the Daytime Curfew ordinance, which the city imposed last year to address youth truancy, will also be inside.
The well-stocked backpacks will be given to the first 500 children Tuesday.
- When: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 16
- Where: RPAL gym, 2200 Macdonald Ave.
- Why: Get local kids ready for new school year
- Who: Oakland A’s pitchers Gio Gonzalez and Fautino De Los Santos, Richmond police officers, and KTVU executive Ellen Ellery
| Oakland A’s backpack giveaway
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