On Saturday, August 7, Ironwood State Prison (ISP) participated in the Summer Safety Extravaganza held at the Colorado River Fairgrounds in Blythe, offering school supplies to those in need.
The free event was hosted by:
- Blythe Police Activities League
- Riverside County Probation Department
- District 4B HOPE Regional Collaborative
- RAP Foundation
The event featured food, games, music, prizes, and fun for the whole family.
Led by Warden Neil McDowell and Community Resources Manager Carey Ochs, ISP distributed 203 backpacks filled with school supplies to students at the Summer Safety Extravaganza.
In the month leading up to the event, staff donated the following:
- Backpacks
- notebooks
- pencils
- glue
- tape
- markers
- pens
- binders
- folders
- rulers
- calculators
- crayons
- highlighters
The Honor Guard also assisted in passing out the backpacks. Meanwhile, the recruitment team provided information to those interested in learning about CDCR careers.
“This has been a tough year for everyone. We loved the idea of doing something fun for the youth in our community because our priority is to help when we can and we believe education is the key to a successful life. We hope this small token assists the children of the community and motivates them to get excited about returning to school and face-to-face instruction,” said Warden McDowell.
By Lt. Heriberto Mora
Read more stories about CDCR’s community involvement.
Learn more about CDCR on our YouTube channel, Facebook page or Twitter account.