Naval Support Activity (NSA) Mid-South hosted a back-to-school expo on July 24 to help personnel and their families get ready for the upcoming school year.

With most local schools starting back Aug. 10, the expo provided an opportunity for personnel on base to receive school supplies for their children in kindergarten through 12th grade.

Backpacks were donated by Operation Homefront, a national organization which provides assistance to service members and their families. Backpacks were available to all service members E6 and below for their school-aged kids.

The military sorority Kappa Epsilon Psi also had school supplies available for those who attended the expo.

"It's actually amazing," said Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Kelly Smith of Navy Recruiting Command who brought her kids to the expo. "It's really hard for parents, especially with multiple children, to get started with back to school supplies."

The expo is organized each year by School Liaison Officer (SLO) Jennifer Lundy to help parents and students shift gears in the final weeks of summer so they can begin to think about what they need to make going back to school a smooth transition.

"The sooner parents begin getting ready for the new school year, the sooner they know what challenges they may face...and the sooner they can come to me for help," said Lundy.

As SLO, Lundy has a close working relationship with the local schools and is familiar with local school rules for zoning, transfers, and required documentation. She is available to help parents as they navigate a new school and new schools districts.

Lundy said she was grateful for the support from the organizations that participated in the expo this year.

"I think the expo went very, very well," said Lundy. "Operation Homefront did a great job providing backpacks and I appreciate Kappa Epsilon Psi bringing in additional school supplies."

The expo also featured a fashion show by the Navy Exchange to show off the fashion trends that would be popular this school year.

For more information about the school liaison program at NSA Mid-South, call 901-874-5343.

NSA Mid-South hosts the Navy's human resources capital hosting Navy Personnel Command, Navy Recruiting Command, and Navy Manpower Analysis Center. For more information about NSA Mid-South, visit www.cnic.navy.mil/midsouth/ .

For more news from Naval Support Activity, Mid-South, visit www.navy.mil/.