It’s that time of the year. Families get together, open gifts that were thoughtfully (or not so thoughtfully) purchased, eat, make merry, yada, yada yada. As usual, I’m behind the 8-ball.
It’s also the time of year where you can make a serious impact on someone else’s life. This can be done by donating your time, donating material or donating money. I’m a big fan of donating my time with Toys for Tots. This year was no exception.
This year, like every year before that I have been a part of Pack/Troop 410, we (the troop) swooped into the NH Toys for Tots depot in Londonderry and took over. It’s a pretty funny sight, 10 kids with 6 adults swooping in and running roughshod over the tasks of counting, sorting and bagging up toys by age and gender at a rate that astonishes the Marines in charge of the depot.
The Toys for Tots program itself is a fantastic way for people to make a positive impact on a child’s life; whether by donating an unwrapped toy at a Toys for Tots box, or donating time to help get those toys into the hands of a child. I can’t help but feel proud of those boys volunteering their Saturday to help.
If you still want to impact a child’s life this Christmas season, but feel it is too late to get on the Toys for Tots train, you still can do something. There is another phenomenal local (read: Merrimack Valley Massachusetts & New Hampshire) charity that needs your help every day of the year.
Catie’s Closet
(The following is taken right from their website)
Catie’s Closet improves school attendance and removes social stigma by providing clothing to students living below the poverty line. For students in grades Pre-K through 12, we build “stores” or “walk-in closets” inside schools so kids have immediate access to what they need, free of charge.
Providing up-to-date clothing and shoes, new toiletries, and school supplies to students – in a sensitive and discreet environment – increases students’ self esteem and sense of belonging. Students want to attend school and can do so without the worry, distraction, and social consequences of not fitting in.
Catie’s Closet has evolved from a family-sponsored project into a social enterprise. The project began as a tribute to Catie Bisson, a graduate of Lowell High School who was passionate about the power of education. Catie was a sophomore at Bridgewater University when she passed away at the age of 20 due to a connective tissue disorder. Her dream was to be a writer and author. Catie felt strongly that education should not be a privilege and so her family sought to honor her memory by helping kids succeed in school. They opened the first Catie’s Closet in a single school.
Today, Catie’s Closet serves 12,000 students in 22 schools in Lowell, MA and Hudson and Nashua, NH.
This Christmas season, please consider helping out Catie’s Closet. You can do this three different ways (clicky):
Merry Christmas,
Ron