Project #8 - Bookbags, Notebooks, & Uniforms, Oh My!

Our last project introduced you to the Quality of Life Center.  We are so excited to be working with and for the children there for this project as well.

We have some BIG goals for this project and we know that with all of you on board we can make great things happen for these kids!

The Quality of Life Center is a neighborhood center based in one of Erie's highest poverty areas. The children of the neighborhood go there for lunch and fun and educational programs during the summer. During the school year they come after school for help with homework and a for positive environment to hang out for the afternoon.

Most of these children are "New Americans", part of refugee and immigrant families. They have a lot of challenges just being new to our country. We would like help these children start their school year with the supplies they need.

The numbers given to us by Katie Morton, an amazing AmeriCorps VISTA and our contact at the Quality of Life Center, are as follows: 62 elementary students, 26 middle school students,  and 20 high school students.

And this leads us to our big goals!!

We would like to provide a new bookbags, uniforms, notebooks, folders, and binders to every single student.

And here is the shopping list to make that happen:

108 bookbags (backpacks and large tote bags)
540 folders (5 per student)
540 notebooks (5 per student)
40 binders (2 per each high school student)
School Uniforms in every size.
    Navy and khaki pants
    Polo shirts in red, white, navy, green, and yellow
    Lots of socks

These are things our children take for granted being able to have each school year. The children at the Quality of Life Center aren't able to count on that. It would mean the world to these families to have help getting their children started with the supplies they need.

As always you can contact us directly through Facebook or our email to pick up items, and we will announce drop off dates soon.

Best Soul Purpose Delivery EVER!

Check out all the toys you gave to the children at the Quality of Life Center!

To say that you made their day is an understatement. 

I am going to just let a few photos speak for themselves.

This is what happened about 30 seconds after the kids were given the goods!

Jumping for joy.

Soccer game started...

Jumping rope...

Playing catch...

                           

How amazing that together we were able to brighten the summer of a group of children.  

Thank you for helping us do that. Soul Purpose has the best people behind it - all of you!

Summer Goodies

We wanted to share photos of some of the donations we have received from you!

We have a drop off date scheduled 

and are super excited to see what you have in store

for the Quality of Life Center's kids.

Project # 7 - Summer Fun

Do you remember the fun of waking up in the summer as a kid?

No school. Riding bikes. Playing ball. Jump rope rhymes.  Sidewalk chalk games.

Our goal for Project #7 is to help The Urban Erie Community Development Corp (UECDC) provide a summer filled with these memories to the children who attend their summer programs.

UECDC provides free quality educational and employment programs which include English as a Second Language and G.E.D. classes, workforce development training, and an after-school program for area kids. The majority of those they serve are immigrants and refugees, those who are struggling with low income and finding their way in a new country.

A little bit from the UECDC website:

"At the UECDC we believe that providing a quality education and opportunities for employment are some of the most effective ways to combat poverty and crime within the Erie community. 

We like to refer to our after-school program as our "mini United Nations." With students represented from Somalia, Sudan, Iraq, Eritrea, the Congo, Liberia, Tanzania, Kenya, and Bhutan, it is easily the most diverse after-school program in Erie. Our center attracts between 70-90 students on a daily basis for after-school programming..."  

We would like to replenish the summer equipment that is used by the kids in the summer programs.  They are in need of EVERYTHING.  We would love to provide bikes (how many of us have outgrown and unused ones in our garages?), balls for every sport, jump ropes, sidewalk chalk, and bubbles. 

We will announce collection dates in the next week or so. We would love second hand bikes, but ask for all the other equipment to be new. 

Katie Morton, our contact at UECDC, is very excited for our help to make the summer great for their kids. We are, too!  

Project 6 - Children's Advocacy Center

We have recently discovered The Children's Advocacy Center. They help with counselling and services for  children who have been victims of abuse. The best way to describe what they do for our area children is to use their own words.


" The Children's Advocacy Center opened it's doors on Jun 1, 2001 to provide services to children in Erie County who have made allegations of sexual or physical abuse.  Referrals to the CAC primarily come from the Office of Children and Youth and from the police.  Children are interviewed at the Center in a child-friendly environment. "


Many parties are involved when a child reports abuse. The CAC provides a child-friendly, central location for interviews and counselling to take place.  This eases the trauma on the children, and their families, as investigations and healing begin.


We have been in touch with one of the board members to find out the needs for the center and the children they are servicing.  The first response was stuffed animals with the tags still attached.  After the interviews are conducted the children are then allowed to pick out a new buddy to take home with them.  As little as this might sound to you or I, for some of these children this is the only thing they might have.  This stands especially true if they are coming from OCY and have just entered the foster care system. This buddy can help provide comfort during a pretty stressful time.

So, friends, that is our next mission.  We are asking for your help in stocking The CAC with new stuffed animals, tags still attached, to give to the children visiting their offices.

We will soon be announcing drop off dates and locations, but as always you can contact us personally and we will come pick up the buddies from you.  Just remember that they have to be new with tags still attached or The CAC will not be able to accept them.  Thanks in advance as we get Project #6 underway.



Lisa and Clarissa

School Supply Delivery!

 Yesterday we sorted through all of the school supplies that you donated to 

Community Shelter Services and got them where they needed to be.  

How awesome to think about the kids whose families need a little help 

getting their hands on pencils and notebooks and folders to start the year! 

 Check out all those folders!

 Need a pencil?

 Counting backpacks...

Getting the totals together.

Several of you took your donations directly to Community Shelter Services. 

We also will have a second batch of your donations to take in the next few days. 

This means that the numbers here are not complete, 

but we wanted to give you an idea of what we did together. 

 Today we donated a total of 620 different school supplies on YOUR behalf, 

which includes 212 pencils, 37 notebooks, 10 bookbags, and lots of folders, erasers, and glue sticks.

Thank you for all your help making the school year start a little brighter for some 

of our community's families.

Project #5 - Back to School

Hello, Friends!

We did our first project together a year ago now.  We have done a lot as a community and for our community this past year.  It is so exciting to imagine what our next year will bring.

Project 5 brings us full circle.  We are going Back to School again!

With your help, we are going to help families in need provide school supplies to their children as they start off the school year.  We all know how long the list of things we need for our children to either bring to school, or to do studying and homework outside of school.

Your donations will be given to Community Shelter Services, an agency that provides shelter and services to area men, women, and children in need,  in support of their Back to School Program. We can play a role to help children have a successful school year, when their lives are in turmoil.

What we are asking is for all of you to pick up a few things while you are doing your shopping.  Backpacks, notebooks, pencils, glue sticks... anything a child can use for school.  We will set up a few drop off dates in the near future, or you can contact us through here and we will meet to pick them up from you.

Here's a complete list of needs from Community Shelter Services:

backpacks
3 ring binders
pencils
glue sticks
crayons
erasers
scissors
two pocket folders
spiral notebooks
colored pencils
plastic pencil cases
rulers
loose leaf notebook paper
packaged notebook dividers
pens
highlighters
black Sharpie markers
pencil sharpeners
small sticky notes
lined notecards
colored markers ~ thin or wide

Thank you all for the awesomeness that is to come!

~Clarissa and Lisa