October 4, 2016

Back-to-school time is traditionally very busy at CHP communities, which are home to hundreds of children who have returned to the classroom in the past month or so.  Just as kids enjoyed an afternoon of fun-filled activities at Friendship Village Apartments in Virginia Beach (read story here), 741 young residents at 14 CHP rental communities in other parts of Virginia and Florida also celebrated the season with events coordinated by CHP’s resident services staff and local partners. In all, $10,000 in school supplies were donated to the children by partner organizations and individuals.

The back-to-school events held throughout August and early September included Meadowview Apartments’ bash at the Pulaski, Va. YMCA, where more than 200 kids from Meadowview and the greater Pulaski community were given “back-to-school bucks,” fake money that they used to play carnival games. Game winners won tickets that they then traded in at a prize booth stocked with school supplies. The booths were set up and run by different organizations and businesses in the community—including the fire and police departments, Radford University, area teachers, and others.

A community park in Lecanto, Fl. was the site of Magnolia Village Apartments’ Back-to-School Wet Field Day. The children played water games from Duck, Duck, Splash to good old water balloon fights. They were also able to sign up for raffles that included free haircuts and meals at local restaurants. CHP Homeownership joined in the fun, providing popsicles, water, and a raffle for green cleaning products. In addition, CHP’s resident services staff partnered with Aaron’s, which brought free hats, bags, pens, and cups, as well as a Dell laptop computer for one lucky student. 

“The start of a new school year is always an exciting time for us at CHP and many of our local partners,” said CHP Vice President of Resident Services Angie Roberts-Dobbins. “We look forward to getting the kids geared back up for school—literally and figuratively. We try to make this time of year fun for our young residents while ensuring they are equipped with the tools they need to be successful in the year ahead.”