Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Courtenay School Clothing & Toy Drive Underway


From Friends of the 46th Ward Schools:

"Courtenay Elementary is kicking off their fourth annual Clothing and Toy Drive. They are collecting:
  • gently used toys (with all pieces attached) for children ages pre-K to 8th grade
  • clothing (adult and children's sizes), and 
  • basic needs like socks, underwear (new only), mittens, and hats. 
  • In addition, their boys mentoring program is looking to collect 400 pairs of NEW socks to donate to Courtenay's local shelter.
Donations should be delivered to Courtenay School at 4420 North Beacon. Please mark donations with "Naomi Bailey" to ensure they are properly delivered. You can contact Naomi Bailey (nebailey@cps.edu or 847-409-1514) with any questions, including requests for tax receipts."

In a note, Naomi said, "I decided to do this four years ago as a means of helping people get 'out with the old and in with the new' just before the holidays hit. I gathered toys and clothing an invited families in need the ability to go 'free' holiday shopping the week before winter break. My decision to do it annually was reinforced when, during the first year's drive, a mother who participated in the 'free' Christmas shopping burst into tears and said, 'My baby is finally going to have a Christmas, my baby is FINALLY going to have a Christmas.' This was powerful and moving and alerted me to the need to support people who don't quite have both feet on the ground. Courtenay student body serves a high percentage of families that are homeless. This said, the need to support families at a time like this becomes increasingly evident."

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