UFT members and parent volunteers gave out new backpacks and school supplies to more than 1,000 students on Aug. 18 as part of festivities celebrating Harlem Week’s 50th year. The students and their families who gathered at the UFT’s booth in the schoolyard at PS 175 in Harlem also learned about UFT programs they can call upon in the coming school year, including Dial-A-Teacher for homework help and the BRAVE anti-bullying program. Cicely Lloyd, a public school parent of a 4th-grade boy and a 10th-grade girl, collected backpacks for her own children and helped hand them out to hundreds of other families. Lloyd said she saw participating in the event as both a responsibility and a source of joy to be able to “give back to the children” in her community. “My favorite part of the day was seeing the smiles on children’s faces,” she said. Nicholas Cruz, the UFT director for community and family engagement, who spearheads the annual effort, said the UFT has participated in Harlem Week for more than two decades. “This event is a reminder of the power of teamwork, collaboration and empathy,” he said.