Clothes for Kids Auction: 09/20/08

Celebrate the Children - Clothes for Kids Annual Dinner & Auction

September 20th, 2008 at 6:00pm - Embassy Suites Hotel in Lynnwood

A fun time will be had by all, as we will have a variety of live and silent auction items to please everyone. Please e-mail office@clothesforkids.org to ensure an invitation or to donate an auction item.

URGENT: Backpacks and School Supplies needed

Low-income Children in Snohomish County in Urgent Need of Backpacks and School Supplies

This September, thousands of children throughout Snohomish County will go back to school without the necessary backpacks and school supplies. It is important for each child to start the school year off right by having the essential supplies. It is equally important that those same children have the supplies they need not just in September, but throughout the school year as well. Clothes for Kids provides school supplies to homeless and low-income children year-round. This year, the need for our support services is expected to grow, while the much-needed supplies have been harder to come by.
Please consider donating some new items or gently used that are needed for the return to a new school year. Clothes for Kids would like to provide these essential items throughout the coming school year.
Recommended items: New or gently used backpacks, Marble & 5 Subject Notebooks, Scissors, Lunch Boxes & Thermos, Crayons & Colored Pencils, Glue, Paper/Memo pads, Pens/Pencils, Rulers, Erasers, Index cards, Highlighters, Calculators, New Socks (Children Size), Underwear.
All donations will go to homeless and low-income children in Snohomish County. Please drop off your donations at Clothes for Kids, located in at 16725 52nd Avenue West Suite B – Lynnwood, WA 98037.
The mission of Clothes for Kids is to help qualified community members build confidence and self-sufficiency by providing quality wardrobes and resources.

Since 1984, Clothes for Kids has helped to enhance the learning environment for thousands of children by meeting the clothing and educational needs of low-income children in Snohomish County. Our goal is to provide these services to children in our community, so they may arrive at school, ready to learn.
When: Ongoing
Where: Clothes For Kids - 16725 52nd Avenue West Suite B – Lynnwood, WA 98037
Time: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Tuesday and Thursday evenings 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
2nd Saturday of each month, starting October 11th
Contact: Mark Smith, Executive Director
or Nancy Laird-Burris, Shop Manager and Volunteer Coordinator
425-741-6500
office@clothesforkids.org

Calling all Volunteers!

Clothes for Kids needs volunteers
Agency expands service area

Clothes for Kids, a Snohomish County non-profit working with low income families, seeks adults and teens to staff its expanded service area. It provides services to qualified families in all of Snohomish County. Volunteers work one to two shifts per week. Day shifts are from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Night shifts are 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., Tuesday and Thursday.
Tasks include receiving donations, sorting and cleaning clothing and shoes, restocking the boutique, and assisting clients in finding clothing. Training is provided.
Clothes for Kids, 16725 52 Ave. W, Lynnwood, provides a boutique shopping experience with stylish clothing intended to enhance kids’ self esteem. Last year 3,462 wardrobes were provided to 2,661 children. Demand this year is expected to reach 4,000 wardrobes.
To volunteer or make a donation, contact Nancy Laird-Burris, Volunteer Coordinator, at 425-741-6500.

Zoo Tunes is Coming!

The popular Zoo Tunes concert series is coming up. And what better way to enjoy this popular Summer concert series than FREE TICKETS from Clothes for Kids? Click on the ad to the left, print it out, and send it in to enter.

Oh, and if the tickets weren't enough to get your attention, our friends at the Maddox Grill in Lynnwood are adding a picnic meal.

For more information on Zoo Tunes, visit their website here: http://www.zoo.org/zootunes/index.html

Local Partner Makes Global Impact

By Jarucia Jaycox Nirula

May of last year was the first time I heard of World Vision.

Our then brand new executive director, Mark Smith, announced during the May board meeting that he’d met with Jim Peterson, local storehouse manager for World Vision, in order to strike up a partnership. In our community, the Federal Way based organization provides, among other things, school supplies for those whose budgets don’t stretch far enough to cover this basic educational requirement.

Due to World Vision’s distribution location and hours, however, many of those qualifying for this assistance were not able to actually benefit from it. This is where Clothes for Kids stepped in, by offering to act a as a local distributor. Many of the same families who’d visit World Vision for supplies come to our shop for clothing. This partnership saves the families a trip and ensures they receive the full benefit of both services.

World Vision recently blipped on my radar again during the aftermath of Cyclone Nagris in Myanmar (formally know as Burma). Amidst distressing reports of Myanmar’s political regime denying access to most foreign assistance, I heard the name “World Vision” as one of the very few humanitarian organizations able to offer help. Having had a standing presence in the country, World Vision staffers were some of the very first international aid workers allowed to travel beyond Rangoon to the hardest hit areas of the Irrawaddy Delta.

When I first about World Vision (again!) I thought, “No this can’t be our World Vision.” Sure enough it was, though. I reflected on just how small one’s world can seem at times when looking no further than to the edges of one’s community or region. Yet here we are members of global community, where the generosity of one local non-profit compliments another and at the same time reaches to the other side of the globe to benefit those in the direst of emergent situations.