Backpacks were given away Tuesday night courtesy of a local church.

Westwood Church of Christ minister Richard O’Connor, who spearheaded the backpack giveaway with the help of church volunteers, said this was the fourth year the church has organized it. 

“Last night we packed 750 backpacks in 20 minutes,” said O’Connor.

The backpacks contained school supplies like paper, pencils and binders. They also contained toiletries like antibacterial wipes, shampoo, body wash, hand sanitizer, and hairbrushes.

Speaking of his volunteers, O’Connor said, “We’ve got a great group.” He added, “Then we’ve got some folks volunteering to cut hair today,” referencing the students from the Tennessee College of Applied Technology’s cosmetology program who were on-hand cutting hair to make sure they looked sharp for the start of school.

Braxxton Hillis, a rising third-grader at Bobby Ray, was one of the students who received a haircut. Tiffani Hillis, Braxxton’s mother, said her son was happy to be getting a trim. “Definitely needed,” she said. She also stated her son was happy to start another year of school. “He was like, ‘I’m so glad to be back here,’ when we were outside waiting,” Tiffani said.

Another student who received a trim was Shirley Diaz, a rising fourth-grader. TCAT cosmetology student and Warren County High School graduate Riley Desmarais was methodical, detailed, and deliberate in her work on Diaz’s hair. 

Desmarais said she decided to go into the cosmetology field because her aunt cuts hair. “She taught me how to braid when I was young,” Desmarais said. “It’s always something I wanted to do.”

Over at the snack table Neal Cox, Ben Clark, and Patsy Cunningham were passing out some of the 550 hotdogs that had been prepared. 

The complimentary hotdogs were accompanied by potato chips and bottles of water. Cox and Clark attested to the snack table’s popularity.

“Oh, yes, very popular,” Cox said.

Rising fourth-grader Hayden Pennebaker could barely contain himself when he saw the hotdogs. Pennebaker threw his hands in the air in a spontaneous display of joy and good fortune before receiving a plate. He gets plenty to eat at home, but as his mother said, “He’s always excited about getting food.”

Next to the snack table Brian Carr was trying to get parents to join Bobby Ray’s parent-teacher organization (PTO). “My kids go to school here,” Carr said of Bobby Ray, which used to be a junior high school. “This is the best school in the county.” 

Carr continued, “My parents, when this was a ninth grade, met each other and then wound up being high school sweethearts and getting married. So I was excited for my kids to come to school here, and then I fell in love with the people.”

Grade-level giveaway stations in the gym were staffed by Westwood volunteers, including Ansley Mullican, Lindsey Matheny, and Jennifer van Vuuren.

Bobby Ray computer teacher Caitlin McGee McKay was stationed in the library helping families and staff with technology issues that happened to come up during the night’s registration process. She also made sure the 13-page electronic registration forms were filled out completely by parents and guardians.

O’Connor relied on a volunteer team of about 75 individuals at his church to help put on this year’s event at Bobby Ray and West. “It’s a cooperative effort,” he said. “You come up with an idea, but you can’t do it unless you have this valiant effort that we have. Our folks are great at Westwood.”

Furthermore, O’Connor said his crew would be back at it again on Monday, Aug. 9, from 7:45 to 9:45 a.m. at both Bobby Ray and West for the final backpack giveaway event, for students who have not yet had a chance to swing by and pick up items. 

“Same basic principle, except we’ll have sausage and biscuits and not hotdogs,” said O’Connor.