DEARBORN, Mich. – Dearborn-based ACCESS, the largest Arab American community nonprofit in the U.S., held its annual back-to-school health fair this week -- with some big changes.
This year, the health fair took place in a socially distant drive-thru fashion with families required to remain in their vehicles and drive up to each designated area to receive services.
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Extra precautions for all physicals and immunizations were also taken, with families required to schedule appointments ahead of time to avoid the risk of unnecessary contact.
The event, normally named the “Back to School Health Fair,” was changed to the “Back to School Drive-Thru Bash.” It was held on Monday in Dearborn.
During the event, ACCESS was able to provide more than 2,000 students with safely packaged meals, backpacks, school supplies, sporting goods, oral hygiene kits, scheduled physicals and immunizations, surprise giveaways and more, all at no cost to attending families.
“As we collectively navigate the challenges brought on by COVID-19, our team understood firsthand how important a resource such as our Back to School Drive-Thru Bash is to our community that needs us more than ever right now. The idea to restructure this annual event came naturally and out of necessity. We knew this was the time to step up and show up for our community and meet their critical needs,” said Mona Makki, Director of ACCESS’s Community Health and Research Center.