Akron families gathered at the LeBron James Family Foundation’s House Three Thirty on August 24 for the fourth annual Better Together Book Bag Giveaway. The event, organized by local nonprofits and corporate partner Chase, offered free backpacks stocked with notebooks, pencils, calculators and other essentials, as well as five donated laptops that were raffled to lucky families.
Takita Rankin, a mother of three, said the giveaway eliminated the need to purchase supplies this year. “The backpacks had everything you could need in them. They had notebook paper, pencils, scissors, crayons, calculators and glue sticks. We were ecstatic,” she said.
Chase Community Manager Ace Epps highlighted the financial strain many families feel during the back‑to‑school season. “Back‑to‑school is an exciting time, but it’s also financially stressful for many families. We want to ease the burden on students and give them a head start on their shopping list,” Epps explained.
The event featured 20 local nonprofit organizations, a live DJ, a bluegrass band, a financial‑wellness workshop hosted by Chase, and free ice cream. Attendees also explored the venue’s Family Room gathering space, a community‑model Starbucks, Buckets restaurant, a retail shop and the LeBron James’ Home Court Museum.
Monique Ransome, director of community relations at House Three Thirty, expressed pride in hosting the event. “Seeing hundreds of kids fill the space and smile ear‑to‑ear as they line up for their backpacks and ice cream makes all of the effort worth it,” she said.
Beyond the giveaway, House Three Thirty remains an open community gathering space for Akron residents. Ace Epps noted that Chase continues to support families year‑round with money‑skills workshops covering budgeting, saving, credit building and fraud prevention, open to both Chase customers and non‑customers.
Families interested in future events or resources can visit the House Three Thirty website or stop by a local Chase branch for more information on financial‑goal tools.
Original reporting: Signal Cleveland — read the source article.
