Redemption Outreach Church, Russellville Dream Center celebrate students with back-to-school street fest

RUSSELLVILLE – Redemption Outreach Church and the Russellville Dream Center, a faith-based recovery ministry, teamed up to host their yearly back-to-school street festival in downtown Russellville. 

Located across the street from each other, they organized the event to provide school supplies, snacks, games and encouragement for local families preparing for the new school year. 

The celebration included inflatables, cotton candy, lemonade, face painting, LED mini golf, live music, giveaways and food trucks. The first 150 children to register received a free backpack filled with school supplies and snacks. 

“Our goal is to love on these kids,” said Courtney Vincent, who coordinated the event. “We get to give them a backpack, and we get to give them some snacks. And they get to have fun while they’re here. We want them to feel the love of Jesus.” 

Vincent said this marks the seventh or eighth year the event has taken place. She has been involved for the past five. 

“It’s an absolute honor that we get to serve this community,” she said. “We’re grateful we get to do it.” 

Maegan Burks, children’s minister at Redemption Outreach Church and office manager at the Dream Center, said the event reflects a shared mission. 

“Redemption Outreach Church and the Dream Center came together to help our community,” she said. “Our heartbeat is to help people that are in need, especially with prices being so high.” 

Chris Payne, who now runs a Tupelo-based ministry called A Way Out, returned to Russellville to help with the event. Payne previously lived in Russellville for more than five years and went through the Dream Center’s recovery program. 

“I end up coming back for things like this — to visit, to preach, to speak and to help,” he said. 

Burks said the event lasted about three hours and focused on meeting both physical and spiritual needs. 

“We’re grateful the community gives us the opportunity to share Jesus and to give back to the people who are in need,” she said.