Ziham Aden, 11, and her sister Zuhaila Aden, 9, talk about which backpacks they should choose during Utah Refugee Connection’s annual back-to-school event at Granite Park Junior High School in South Salt Lake on Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024. Brice Tucker, Deseret News
This week’s “Focus on Utah,” a weekly photography feature, highlights the generous efforts of Ken Garff employees who partnered with Utah Refugee Connection and Granite School District last week to outfit school kids with backpacks and school supplies.
The event, held at Granite Park Junior High School in South Salt Lake, was turned into a fun back-to-school carnival for refugee families.
According to their press release, “Utah Refugee Connection hosts this carnival every year. The community rallies and provides all 2,000 of the backpacks and school supplies and Ken Garff provides the carnival festivities for the families to enjoy.”
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Here are some of our favorite photos from Deseret News photojournalist Brice Tucker’s coverage of the event.
Volunteer Zeze Adam helps Hasam Baakar, 13, a refugee from Syria now living in Taylorsville, fill out paperwork to get his siblings and cousins backpacks during Utah Refugee Connection’s annual back-to-school event at Granite Park Junior High School in South Salt Lake on Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News
Tunay Murei, 16, from Salt Lake City, gets her face painted during Utah Refugee Connection’s annual back-to-school event at Granite Park Junior High School in South Salt Lake on Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News
Ambassador volunteer Ashton Jenkins, from Millcreek, helps Mohamed Yohesh, 8, originally from Afghanistan but now living in Bluffdale, pick out a backpack during Utah Refugee Connection’s annual back-to-school event at Granite Park Junior High School in South Salt Lake on Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News
Mayra Carrillo helps her daughter Allison Barientos pick out a backpack during Utah Refugee Connection’s annual back-to-school event at Granite Park Junior High School in South Salt Lake on Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News
Manal Fadely, a refugee from Algeria now living in Cottonwood Heights, laughs with her son and daughter while picking out backpacks during Utah Refugee Connection’s annual back-to-school event at Granite Park Junior High School in South Salt Lake on Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News
Volunteer Emily Wagstaff, on the right, helps Ubah Hassan, 10, center, and her mother Fathia Abdi, left, fill out paperwork for the amount of backpacks they needed for their family during Utah Refugee Connection’s annual back-to-school event at Granite Park Junior High School in South Salt Lake on Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News
Volunteer Marwa Najjar helps a family fill out the paperwork to get backpacks and school supplies for their children during Utah Refugee Connection’s annual back-to-school event at Granite Park Junior High School in South Salt Lake on Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News
Families exit the school with new backpacks and school supplies to the carnival out back during Utah Refugee Connection’s annual back-to-school event at Granite Park Junior High School in South Salt Lake on Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News
Mkuu Vae, center, eats ice cream with her grandchildren, Yassin Vae, 1, on the right and Hannan Yasmin, 3, on the left, during Utah Refugee Connection’s annual back-to-school event at Granite Park Junior High School in South Salt Lake on Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News
