Back to School Day

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (WISH) - The countdown to the start of school is on.. many families are getting ready for the first day of class.

To help out parents... the Marion County Health Department hosted a Back to School event on North Rural Street in Indianapolis.
Organizers handed out school supplies and more than free bike helmuts... while health officials distributed information... and gave more than 250 shots to young students. A record 25,000 people turned out... many people standing in line for more than three hours.

"We got books, a bunch of books. My kids like to read, so they got a bunch of books, got pencils, erasers, folders. It's great, it's hard with four kids to get all the school supplies, so it's a great thing," said parent, Petra Stewart.

"It's a lot, it's beneficial to a lot of parents who really need help, you know, to get everything they need for their kids to start school," explained parent Willie McKinstry.

More than 16,000 people attended the 2009 event, which set an attendance record from the previous year.

WISH-TV was a proud sponsor of this year's Back to School Day at Marion County Health Department.