As summer break comes to an end, many schools provide extensive lists of supplies students will need in the coming academic year.
For the past 34 years, the annual Ollie H. Dixon Back-to-School Parade and Picnic has provided hundreds of kids with the supplies necessary to start the school year off well.
The founder of the event, Ollie Dixon, has served Anderson as a city councilman for 34 years.
“I came up a poor kid, and the community really helped my parents raise me,” Dixon said Sunday during the event in Anderson. “After coming up poor, Black, disenfranchised, I made up my mind that if I ever got on my feet and could do something for others, I would.”
With the support of many community organizations, donations and the City of Anderson, the event is completely free to the community and includes meals, school supplies for kindergarten through 12th grade and even a bicycle giveaway.
This year, their goal was to serve 1,200 kids.
“I saw a need that there’s a lot of children struggling out here with basic supplies,” Dixon said. “So my family and a lot of friends got together and decided that we were going to find ways to especially help those in school.”
Dixon credits his daughter, Tamie Dixon-Tatum, as the “spark plug” of the initiative. She organizes the event, coordinates volunteers and collects donations.
“We want to make sure that we keep the tradition going, that every kid that’s present gets a bag,” Dixon-Tatum said.
“Thus far, for the last 34 years, we’ve been very successful in doing that. There's never been a kid that came that did not get supplies.”
Picnic attendee Soria Bailey talked about the connections provided for members of the community at the picnic.
“I love that it has different opportunities for people to go reach out to like Aspire and Open Door,” she said, mentioning two health-care providers represented Sunday.
“Usually, some people can’t go to things like that. But this gives people a chance to reach out to see what their options are.”
Partners of the event represent a wide range of companies and organizations invested in the future of local children.
Prairie Farms Dairy, NTN Driveshaft, Community Hospital, The Excel Center, Anderson Community Schools and the local Black Chamber of Commerce were among supporters that provided donations, volunteers or both.
Dixon and Dixon-Tatum don’t plan on slowing down anytime soon.
“We are truly appreciative of all the volunteers and all the donations, and we plan on doing this, at this point, forever,” Dixon-Tatum said. “We want to make sure that every kid has the opportunity to be ready for school every year.”
Dixon explained his philosophy and inspiration for giving back.
“My mom and dad always taught me that you can trust, and if you trust, and you do well by and for people, that people would trust in you and this community,” he said.
“I try to do my best to encourage children to stay in school, get a good quality education and give back to the community, and I hope that I’m setting an example for that.”
This article appeared in The Herald Bulletin.