The Back-to-School Fair: Supporting Students
For more than twenty years, the Rotary Club of SeaTac-Tukwila has helped make the annual Back-to-School Fair an important community tradition. Rotarians Dave Bush and Claudia Dickinson were among the local leaders who helped launch the event, beginning a connection that has continued across generations of club members.
Today, the fair brings schools, local government, nonprofit organizations, service providers, and volunteers together around a shared purpose: giving children and families the support they need as a new school year begins.
Students receive backpacks and classroom essentials, but the impact reaches well beyond school supplies. Families can connect with organizations offering medical and social services, childcare guidance, food assistance, clothing, and other resources. By gathering this support in one welcoming community event, the fair helps remove barriers that can make the beginning of the school year difficult for families.
SeaTac-Tukwila Rotary has remained an active partner throughout the fair’s history. One of our most visible roles is providing lunch for the hundreds of students, parents, and caregivers who attend. Over the years, Rotarians have prepared and served thousands of meals while creating a friendly place for families to gather. Our club has also worked with community partners to make the meal more inclusive, including serving halal options so that more families can participate comfortably.
Our involvement has continued to grow with the needs of the community. Rotary members have also supported clothing distribution, helping students find items they can wear with confidence as they return to school.
The Back-to-School Fair reflects what can happen when a community works together with consistency and purpose. What began more than two decades ago has developed into a broad network of support for local families—and SeaTac-Tukwila Rotary is proud to have been part of that work from the beginning.
For our club, the fair is more than an annual event. It is a long-term commitment to young people, education, and the well-being of the communities we serve.