By Henry Luzzatto

Correspondent

For most children, the end of summer is not cause for joy. However, for Suffolk Christian Academy and East End Baptist Church, it serves as the last chance for a celebration.

The group will hold its annual “Back 2 School Bash” on Aug. 30.

“It’s the last event of the summer for the youth,” said David Wade, youth pastor at East End Baptist Church and organizer of the event, which is open to the public.

The celebration offers free school supplies and will have games and food vendors, too. However, the focus of the event is on the several guest performances.

The host for the event and guest speaker will be LaTasha Colander Clark, an Olympic gold medalist who now works for the Salvation Army in Suffolk.

On the event’s main stage, there will be music performed by religious recording artist T.L. Chisholm, a Portsmouth native, and Dionte Futrell, the youth pastor at St. Paul Baptist Church in Suffolk. Professional actress Morgan McCoy will also give a show of her talents during the event.

Following the performances by the professional entertainers, there will be a talent show featuring area youth. The talent show will be split into two categories, one for ages 5 to 12, and another for ages 13 to 18.

There are auditions for the talent show the week before the event at the Salvation Army office at 400 Bank St.

“We want the youth to get a chance to show their talent,” Wade said. He explained that many children and young adults are talented, but they “lack a platform” to display their skills. Having professionals demonstrate their craft will inspire the youth, he said.

“I wanted to have the professionals showcasing abilities,” he said, “so the kids might look at them and say ‘I want to be a track star, or a singer, or an actor.’”

As a whole, the event serves as a way to motivate and inspire the youth, while celebrating the end of summer and the beginning of the school year.

“SCA and all of the churches just wanted to reach out to the kids in the community,” Wade said.

The event will be held Saturday, Aug. 30 from noon to 4 p.m. at First Baptist Church, 237 N. Main St. Auditions for the talent show will be held Saturday, Aug. 23 from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Salvation Army, 400 Bank St. For more information, contact David Wade at 539-3324 or david.wade@eebconline.com.