National Night Out provides school supplies for Dougherty County kids | PHOTO GALLERY

ALBANY — Radium Springs Middle School was swarmed by students and parents Tuesday, eager for pencils, notebooks, binders, book bags and other free materials for the new school year which started Wednesday.

Mobile users can see photo from Albany’s National Night Out here

There was free food and drinks, bouncy houses for the kids and even free haircuts and an opportunity to talk with officers of Dougherty County’s law enforcement agencies.

“This is my baby,” said Tamiko Whitlock, detective with the Dougherty County Police Department and coordinator of Albany’s National Night Out. “I come here every year trying to make a difference. In Albany we don’t have a problem with the public’s perception of law enforcement and we don’t want to have one. So we’re here to make sure the community sees a friendly law enforcement face and understands we’re here to help them.”

According to Whitlock, providing a jump start on the school year can’t help but make life easier for the students — and for law enforcement as well.

“Education makes our job much easier,” Whitlock said. “Educated people have better jobs and are less likely to turn to a life of crime. We’re giving them the tools here to start out right. On these tables there’s enough school supplies to last them most of the school year.”

Agencies participating in this year’s National Night Out included Albany and Dougherty County police departments, Dougherty County Sheriff’s Office, Albany-Dougherty Drug Unit, Dougherty County School Police, Albany State University Police and the Albany Fire Department.

For the first time this year the Georgia State Patrol and the Worth County office of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation took part in the activities.

“This gives us a chance to interact with the community during a time we’re not involved with an investigation,” said Kim Baker, special agent in charge with the Worth County GBI.

Baker said volunteer agents were present at the event, giving away notebooks and writing paper, as well as answering questions students have about the GBI.

Not all Night Out volunteers were there in uniform. Like last year, members of the New Birth Fellowship Church on Radium Springs Road were there, giving out book bags for the coming school days.

“We’re here to do anything we can to help the kids and law enforcement,” said Deaconess Angelia Daniels with New Birth. “It’s the Christian thing to do, and it also helps take care of our community. These educational supplies are for families that may not otherwise be able to provide, due to their economic status. It will help them be better prepared for a good education.”

Volunteers from Sonny’s Barbecue cooked free hamburgers and hot dogs for any hungry child or parent, and several new bicycles were presented to a few lucky boys and girls with winning tickets.

To help prevent dehydration in the August afternoon heat, many of the sponsors provided bottled water or other cold drinks for the hundreds in attendance. And in the cool comfort of the cafeteria, eight professional barbers worked at giving free haircuts.

“I’m doing it to help the kids and give something back to the community,” said Gregory McKenzie with Barbara Brooks Beauty and Barber Salon. “I feel like a good haircut can change your attitude for the better. It can make a student feel good about himself so he can get a great start in school A good haircut can lead to good grades.”

The first National Night Out — dubbed “America’s Night Out Against Crime — began in 1984 as an effort to promote crime prevention activities, police community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie, and to send a message to criminals that neighborhoods were organized and fighting back.

The founding organization of the event, the National Association of Town Watch (WATW) says more than 37 million people and 15,000 communities from all 50 states, U.S. territories, Canadian cities and military bases stage their own activities, usually during the first week of August.