MARYSVILLE – Owners of the Cedars on 67th Apartments hosted a kids party and backpack giveaway Aug. 11 to ensure children living there are prepared for school.

Since purchasing the apartment complex last year, Williams Investments has built a lively family celebration around the backpack program, with face painting, free popcorn from the Marysville Kiwanis Club, USTA martial arts demonstrations, along with kids arts and crafts, pizza and ice cream in the clubhouse.

Coordinator Misty Kilby, office operations manager, said the apartment complex is a community unto itself, and this is a way to give back to families.

“When we purchased this building we wanted to show that we care, and we wanted to make this more of a community,” Kilby said, refering to the people in the low-income housing development.

The looks on faces makes it all worthwhile, she added.

“We walk away feeling like we put a smile on the kids’ faces,” Kilby said. “Knowing that the parents don’t have to worry about filling up a backpack with a bunch of school supplies is really kind of cool.”

In all, 50 backpacks and 100 dental kits were distributed.

Apartment manager Monica Horn, who gave out most of the backpacks, said she enjoys giving back to tenants.

“This is low income, and the parents can’t necessarily afford school supplies, so this a way to make them happy by helping out,” Horn said. “It’s not everything, but it’s a lot of the supplies they need.”

Cedars on 67th rents apartments to people who meet low-income guidelines outlined under Section 42 of the Internal Revenue Code. Residents are typically employed, but at lower-paying jobs that don’t exceed a pre-specified percentage or average of local household income.

School supplies including notebooks, paper, pencils, pens, erasers, glue sticks and other back-to-school essentials.

Williams Investments owns apartments and other property holdings in Marysville, Arlington, Everett, Lake Stevens and Lynnwood. Their latest project is Park77, a new 183-unit upscale apartment complex in Arlington, that will begin renting units in September.