Thank you for all of your support of Clothes To Kids of Fairfield County yesterday (03.09.17) during Fairfield County’s Giving Day. This was our second year participating in Giving Day and thanks to your generosity we were able to raise $5,724. That’s more than twice what we raised last year!
The gifts we received will help keep our racks full for all of the amazing kids that visit our store. At $50 per wardrobe, your donations will provide one week’s worth of school clothes for 114 children in-need!
Do you love to shop for bargains? If so, then becoming a Garage Sale Donation Finder for Clothes To Kids of Fairfield County could be the perfect project for you!CTKF has fun upcoming volunteer opportunities this spring and summer for anyone who loves to shop for a good deal!
Cynthia Iriondo, a CTKF volunteer from South Windsor CT, is a tag sale shopping expert. Check out this photo of just some of her awesome finds for CTKF! Cynthia identifies local tag sales in her neighborhood, and selects gently used or new clothing for CTKF’s inventory. Get involved this spring and become a Donation Finder like Cynthia.
A group of 11 sixth grade students and history teacher, Will Colombo, from the Stanwich School of Greenwich, CT, came ready to help in the CTKF Store this week. Stanwich School students volunteer their time once a month in the store to lend their assistance wherever it may be needed. CTKF’s Volunteer Coordinator Nadine Baccellieri kept the group motivated as they worked together on projects such as ensuring an abundance of coats would be available for clients, organizing the cubicles filled with new packages of underwear and socks, refolding pajamas and shirts into neat stacks, and keeping the shoe sizes in proper order. As with a retail store, tidying up and displaying more items for shoppers is important. Maintaining the store is a task that requires enthusiasm, and this group had just that! Thank you Stanwich students and Will Colombo for a job well done!
On the evening of Thursday, December 1st, Clothes To Kids of Fairfield County (CTKF) held its first fundraising event, “Cook for Kids”. The much-anticipated event was sponsored by Wells Fargo Advisors and took place at Aitoro Appliance & Electronics of Norwalk, CT. With over 170 tickets sold, by 6pm, the store was filled with community members in attendance to support CTKF. Aitoro served as the perfect space for the local chefs cooking their delicious creations. Attendees were eager to get a taste of each talented chef’s freshly prepared food.
CTKF’s Executive Director Elaine Rubinson spoke about the organization’s mission, activities and progress since the grand opening on October 13th, 2016, and recognized the Boys and Girls Club of Stamford – Yerwood Clubhouse Executive Director Mike Cotela for his continued and valued support. Carolina Ahumada, a Social Service Professional at Family Centers of Greenwich, CT, shared inspiring feedback from her clients that have shopped in the store. Carolina described the joy and excitement of her clients receiving quality, clean clothing through shopping at CTKF.
Star 99.9’s radio host Anna Zapp worked her magic, keeping the crowd energized and excited as she promoted the silent auction items, the “Drop Your Cash” collection for new underwear and socks, and the raffle. Guests waited patiently for the results of the highly sought-after auction items, as they sparked lots of buzz throughout the evening. Donors included:
CTKF’s first annual “Cook for Kids” proved to be a success, raising over $19,000. CTKF is extremely grateful for the wonderful support received for this event from the Fairfield County community, restaurants and chefs, local companies and businesses, and organizations. The organization would like to extend its thanks to Tony Aitoro for making this event possible. CTKF would also like to recognize its Event Committee members, Alexandra Briggs Kling, Livia Feig, Craig Wood, Carrie Franzese, Steve Berni, and Valerie Fischel, as well as the volunteers for their incredible efforts and dedication in organizing this event! Funds raised from “Cook for Kids” will go directly to the CTKF store’s operational and client clothing needs.
Join us as we make a difference in Fairfield County communities. For more about ways to get involved with CTKF, click here.
The holidays can’t all be about shopping. According to News 12 Connecticut’s “Medical Minute” today, psychologists say that encouraging kids to volunteer and donate during the holidays are great ways to get them thinking about others. And they can do both for Clothes To Kids of Fairfield County. We have a number of volunteer opportunities available for kids, and making a donation in honor of someone is a great holiday gift that can given by kids and adults alike!
Jump to 0:25 to see the CTKF segment of the News 12 Medical Minute video.
Clothes To Kids of Fairfield County is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization serving low-income or in-crisis school age children in Fairfield County, Connecticut.
We envision a community in which every child has quality clothing so that he or she may attend school with the confidence and self-esteem needed to achieve academic success. Our mission is to provide new and quality used clothing to low-income or in-crisis school age children, free of charge.
CKTF would like to thank the student members of Stamford High School’sbuildOn Club and their Advisor/Teacher, Matthew Gladstone, for spending this past Sunday afternoon volunteering in the store. The few hours of work that this group devoted to the CTKF mission was much appreciated.
With clients shopping at CTKF the day before, the store was in need of restocking. The students did an excellent job of preparing the store for the next week of clients. The group sorted through boxes of new items and attended to the details, such as organizing the accessories in both the boy’s and girl’s sections. Sunday’s cold, windy weather served as a reminder that this group’s priority was to ensure that plenty of warm clothing, scarves, and gloves would be available for children needing winter garments.
Thank you Matthew Gladstone for helping organize the afternoon, and thank you buildOn members for your assistance!
CTKF’s Volunteer Coordinator Nadine Baccellieri assists a client as she shops for clothing for her daughter.
On October 13th, 2016, CTKF opened its doors and began serving families in Fairfield County. CTKF representatives and volunteers have been busy arranging appointments for families and assisting clients with finding the perfect fit, selecting comfortable and warm items, and choosing unique styles that each child will feel confident wearing.
Since our official opening 1 month ago, we have provided over 92 children with wardrobes! For us at CTKF, seeing the smiling faces of children and parents as they leave our store with much needed shopping bags filled with quality clothing is the most wonderful feeling. We are proud to have served Fairfield County families and we are determined to continue providing children with access to clean clothing, free of charge. Additionally, we are grateful for the tremendous efforts of our volunteers – thank you!
Want to make a difference in the lives of children in Fairfield County communities? We want to hear from you! Learn about our volunteer opportunities here.
Interested in making a donation? Read more about ways to support us here.
