Backpacks sit in the Renewal by Andersen's Mechanicsburg location on July 27, 2026, before they will be handed out to students in August.
Katie Knol / WITF News
Supporting Students and Families for a New School Year
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Asia Tabb
Katie Knol / WITF News
Backpacks sit in the Renewal by Andersen's Mechanicsburg location on July 27, 2026, before they will be handed out to students in August.
aired; August 21, 2026
What happens when community focused organizations come together to support young scholars beginning a new school year? In this episode, we hit the road to the Back-to-School Extravaganza which was hosted on Saturday, August 15 at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg. In the first half of the program we speak with Christy Renjilian, the Executive Director at Community Connections for Children and Kim Istvan, Community Impact Manager-Education at United Way of the Capital Region. Kim and Christy talk about the “why” behind the event that served approximately 1,500 children.
In the second half of the program Dr. Sabina Grant-Spencer, Director of Early Childhood at Harrisburg School District and Stefanie McAuliffe, Vice President of Community Impact at The Foundation for Enhancing Communities explore the challenges facing young scholars and their families, and the support that exists in the region to help.
Listen to the podcast to hear the full conversation.