Initially for the letter W, I was going to share “water play places” in the Santa Clarita Valley, as summer wraps up with school just around the corner. I decided instead to go with “W is for We,” since I always try to find and share efforts in the Santa Clarita Valley that demonstrate “we” – efforts in which I see community individuals and organizations coming together to help one another or do something good for the community.

With school starting in just two to three weeks, or less, for most students in our valley, I wanted to emphasis the “we” way that many are coming together to make sure all students have backpacks and supplies when they head back to school.

A major effort to do this has been ongoing in July by the Real Life Church, which set a goal of giving out 1,000 backpacks (and school supplies) at its Savia Community Expo today (Saturday, Aug. 3) from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Savia is the Real Life Church’s new community partnership site in Newhall, located at 23780 Newhall Avenue. There will be live music, artisans and vendors, in addition to the backpacks and school supplies being given out.

With my experience in education, I know how valuable school supplies are, and how much of a need there is to make sure every child has supplies. I love seeing individuals in our community coming together to provide school supplies and backpacks.

DeSesa Chiropractic always hosts an annual School Supplies Drive, so if you would like to get involved and donate school supplies that will get to children who need them, you can drop school supplies there this month. Call ahead to check office hours: 661-294-0429.

Key supplies to consider donating include a half-inch 3-ring binder, pencil bags, No. 2 pencils, black and red ball point pens, highlighters, pink erasers, a package of loose-leaf notebook paper, colored pocket folders and new backpacks. Right now, many stores have school supplies at low costs, so while getting some for your own children, consider getting a few extras to donate.

Help the Children, located at 25030 Avenue Tibbitts, Suite L, in Valencia, also collects and distributes school supplies for children in the Santa Clarita Valley (as well as food). We try to make regularly food donations to Help the Children, and this month we will be donating school supplies, as well.

Finally, I want to share about a bigger “we” – a nationwide school supply effort initiated by Dollar Tree called Operation Homefront, which kicked off July 9 and runs through Aug. 6. Dollar Tree stores have collection boxes for school supply donations that will be distributed to military families in the area of the Dollar Tree store that receives your donation.

If you know of other back-to-school supply collection efforts or other community efforts that show the strength and power of “we,” please share them with me at The Good Long Road on Facebook so I can make sure to spread the word about them, too.

I will be sharing more back-to-school ideas – about giving school supplies, preparing for going back to school, lunches and more – on my Facebook page all week this coming week (Aug. 4-10), so pop over from time to time and join me in preparing to go back to school – or to school for the first time, as is the case of my son.

Jennifer Fischer is co-founder of the SCV Film Festival, a mom of two, an independent filmmaker and owner of Think Ten Media Group, whose Generation Arts division offers programs for SCV youth. She writes about her parenting journey on her blog, The Good Long Road. Her commentary is published Saturdays on SCVNews.com.