On Friday, Aug. 24, students from seven Dallas ISD elementary schools celebrated a donation of uniforms to their schools by Pat and Emmitt Smith Charities and JCPenney with a pep rally-style event at Ellis Davis Field House.
John Quincy Adams, James Bowie, J.N. Ervin, Tom Field, Martin Luther King Jr., Umphrey Lee and Herbert Marcus elementary schools are among campuses that together received a total of 3,000 donated uniforms valued at $150,000. To showcase the donations, students from each school modeled examples of the uniforms on a raised runway. They also carried signs declaring how many uniforms their particular schools received this year through the program.
This is the fifth year Smith Charities and other partners have supplied uniforms to Dallas ISD students, with the donation growing each year. At the Aug. 24 event, students received free dental and vision screenings; and free school supplies and backpacks. Entertainment was provided by the David W. Carter High School Band, Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders and a DJ.
Tom Hayden, manager for Dallas ISD’s Strategic Initiatives and External Relations, said he is thankful for the generosity that drives the uniform donations. “We are excited to have the incredible support of the Pat and Emmitt Smith Charities,” he said.