By Peter Day
Staff Writer
Christmas came early for several hundred Lucerne Valley students last Friday afternoon.
Before the end-of-school bell sounded at the nearby elementary school, parents and children were beginning to line up in the parking lot of Cafe 247, where Mavrick Von Haug and his team of volunteers had set up shop.
There, under a canope tent, were backpacks of all colors and designs. There were pink ones, blue ones, red ones. Whatever color, they were all new ones. Each one was packed with school supplies to help students get up and running. Upon signing up, one boy excitedly selected a back pack in camouflage green.
"I want to thank the parents for their support," said school district superintendent Peter Livingston. "The kids have new back packs. It creates improved self esteem and translates into doing better at school."
Two days earlier, Livingston joined a group of community volunteers who gathering in front of Mavrick's Ultimate Training Center gym in the Lucerne Valley Shopping Center. The volunteers organized and packed the backpacks with the supplies in preparation for Friday's event.
Mavrick, a former mixed-martial arts champion, is the current Honorary Mayor of Lucerne Valley and a recently appointed member of the Lucerne Valley Unified School District's governing board.
Mavrick credited Cafe 247 owners Alyn and Kathy Nielsen and the entire Nielsen family for demonstrating community spirit and a willingness to lend a hand.
"It's really nice of him to do this, said Matt Nielsen, son of the owners, who was documenting the event with his camera.
Mavrick believes that giving back to the community — especially when it comes to the town's young people — is one of his primary missions. The backpack giveaway follows several other events, including a bicycle giveaway. That theme continues as Mavrick announced he is donating eight more bicycles to the Golden Horseshoe Program, which rewards high school and middle school students for jobs well done.