Gwinnett County invites students, parents, business leaders and community leaders to celebrate afterschool programs at Walk Among the Stars, part of the National Lights On Afterschool initiative, at 6 p.m. Thursday at Collins Hill Park, 2225 Collins Hill Road in Lawrenceville.

The event, which is free, will highlight the contributions of afterschool programs and draw attention to the need for more afterschool programs to serve the millions of children nationwide who are unsupervised and at risk each weekday afternoon, according to a news release. Walk Among the Stars is one of more than 8,000 National Lights On Afterschool events nationwide emphasizing the importance of keeping the doors open and lights on for afterschool programs.