On Thursday night, the Cleveland Monsters were excited to join Immaculate Cleaning for their annual Back to School Bash at Stepstone Academy. The annual event once again helped provide over 200 local kids with backpacks and supplies ahead of the school year, haircuts and information on food security.
Incoming Stepstone Academy students could stop by the Back to School Bash to prep for the school year, beginning with services offered by Great Clips and additional local barbers and braiders. Immaculate Cleaning provided dinner while representatives from the Greater Cleveland Food Bank, Boys & Girls Club and I AM WELL Holistic were on hand to meet with parents.
“We were thrilled to team up with Immaculate Cleaning once again for our Back to School Bash,” said Monsters Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Ben Adams. “It has been amazing to watch this event continue to evolve over the years and help get the kids ready both in and out of the classroom for another great school year.”
Stepstone Academy was founded in 2011 as a tuition-free, non-profit 501(c)3 charter school. It serves approximately 220 K-7 grade students in Cleveland’s Central Neighborhood. Its purpose was – and is – to build a collaborative culture that unites staff, families and community partners to provide pathways for growth, academic excellence and lifelong success for the students. Stepstone educators also work diligently to develop scholars of strong character to become independent, contributing members of their communities.
Nearly all the school’s students live below the poverty line and in one of the most under-resourced neighborhoods in the state. Stepstone Academy provides breakfast and lunch five days a week to ensure students have the proper nutrition to study and excel. Stepstone aims to empower families in this impoverished district to reduce childhood poverty and improve financial stability for many currently enrolled students, their families, and future generations.
The kids enjoyed a visit from Monsters mascot Sully, a performance by DJ Drew-Sky and had a chance to test their skills on the Monsters Five Hole Challenge and Cleveland Charge’s Pop-A-Shot. Throughout the event, the Monsters and Immaculate Cleaning donated over 200 backpacks loaded with school supplies to distribute to needy children. Every backpack had basic elementary school supplies including items like pencils, crayons, notebooks, folders, glue sticks and more.
Evan Dammarell is an award-winning sports journalist covering all things Cleveland right off the shores of Lake Erie. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. You can also email him at evan@downeuclid.com. He can also be found three to five times weekly on Locked On Cavs, a part of the Locked On Podcast Network.
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