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By NATHAN HOWELL | Staff Writer

HELENA – Though it is the middle of summer, children will soon be getting ready to return back to school for another year. With this comes stress for parents who have to provide a wide-range of supplies for their children.

The Cornell Lewis Foundation is hosting its “6th Annual Back 2 School Rally” on Aug. 1 at the Helena Sports Complex, to help address this concern by connecting a number of students in need with several bags of school supplies, while they last.

Aaron Lewis, founder, said that he created this event six years ago as a way to give back to the Shelby County community that he grew up in.

“This time of year is the perfect time to start getting students prepared with supplies and other things,” Lewis said. “They get a head start that way, and it helps to take some of the financial pressure off parents. There are kids out there with a genuine need, and helping them is very important to me.”

The foundation plans to give out basic supplies that anyone might need including paper, pens, penicls, notebooks and other items. Lewis said that he divided the supplies into three categories: elementary, middle and high school and college students.

The items will be prepackaged and handed out to guests during the event.

Lewis also said that he wanted to give the event a military theme, so there will be people walking around in military fatigues.

“Hopefully, this will give the kids and parents something to look forward to,” Lewis said. “This is a safe, family-friendly event that we would love for everyone to come out and enjoy.”

The event will run from 2:30-6:30 p.m. and is open to anyone in the community who needs support, according to Cornell Lewis Foundation Founder Aaron Lewis.Lewis said that he was looking for donations and contributions to help make the event a success.

Those interested can reach out to him at Cornelllewisfoundation@gmail.com. More information about the event can be found on The Cornell Lewis Foundation Facebook page.