NEW YORK (TIP) : Indian American Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar hosted two major “Back to School” distributions at her office where she gave away over 1,000 backpacks and thousands of school supplies to the children of South Queens, New York.

Rajkumar, who represents District 38 in the New York State Assembly, secured private donors from outside her district to fund the distribution, bringing an abundance of high-quality backpacks and full sets of school supplies for the children of South Queens on September 5, according to a press release.

At the events. hundreds of children and their families came to the Assemblywoman’s office to receive backpacks, each containing a full set of school supplies including rulers, notebooks, glue sticks, folders, scissors, pens, crayons, pencils, erasers, sharpeners, and pouch bags.

Rajkumar has made education a priority throughout her tenure, the release stated. A regular fixture at school graduations across her district where she serves as commencement speaker, she also appears on the first day of school to greet each child as they walk in.

She hosts a summer reading challenge every summer encouraging kids to read. She regularly visits classrooms in the district as a guest speaker and serves as the keynote speaker for the Queens Young Debaters tournament.

Focusing on making the education system work for all diverse communities, Rajkumar this year led and won the historic fight to make Diwali a School Holiday in New York City’s public schools, the release noted. A diverse coalition of community groups in the district volunteered on the day of the school supply distribution to make the event a success.

These included the Ozone Park Residents Block Association, the Cityline Ozone Park Civilian Patrol, the Richmond Hill/South Ozone Park Lions Club, Queens Community Board 9, the Woodhaven BID, Glendale Kiwanis, the Bangladeshi American Society, United American Hindu Leadership Council, the New York Nepalese Help Post, the Ridgewood 123 Kiwanis, Kiwanis Club of Ozone Park-Woodhaven and the US Nepal Climbers Association.

“Education is the reason I am here,” Rajkumar said. “As the daughter of immigrants from India who came to this country with little, it was education that threw open the doors of opportunity for me.”

“Now, I am committed to ensuring all the children in my district have those same opportunities I had,” she said. “That is why I put everything in to making sure the children of District 38 are excited and prepared for the new school year.”

“Our area has never had this kind of incredible representation. I did not even know who my Assembly member was until Assemblywoman Rajkumar,” said Juana Chavez, a local resident. “She looks out for all of us, and our children’s education, by delivering the supplies and help we need. Thanks to her, my son will be ready for school.”

“The Assemblywoman is always in the community helping us. She has so much energy that I wonder how she does it all. She helps us with so many things,” said Claudette Gosta, another mother.

“She did a free medical clinic, food distributions, rain barrels, mammograms, and a rock concert. Now she is helping us with backpacks and other supplies so that my children have everything for the school year.”