Clothe the Children Event In East Haven

From East Haven Rotary Club: The East Haven Rotary Club will again for the 17 th year in a row, be providing clothing for children in need Saturday January 13th . The annual program was recently renamed the “Ben Mazzucco Clothe the Children” project in memory of the long time Rotarian who passed away in January of 2016. Rotarian Mazzucco was the creator of the project and its Chairperson for many years.

Co-chairperson Barbara Brow is expecting approximately 85 deserving children who will be given the funds to shop for items of clothing at Kohl’s Department Store in Branford. Each year Rotarians receive suggested lists of names of children from the elementary schools in the East Haven system.

Fund raising events again were coordinated by teachers at elementary schools in East Haven. In addition, the National Junior Honor Society students from the JMMS Middle School also raised funds this year. The Clothe the Children Committee and the East Haven Rotary continue to be very pleased with this unique “kids helping kids” type of fundraising.

In addition to Rotary raised funds, monies for the program are raised through direct donations received from local businesses and residents. It has been in this area that the economy has had the greatest negative effect.

On January 13th , the children (recommended by school administrators) and their parents/guardians will meet Rotarians at Kohl’s Department Store in Branford and are able to shop for items of clothing totaling $ 100 per child. The club monitors quite closely that all items purchased are classified as clothing and that the sizes will correspond to the child present. While at Kohl’s Department Store, the purchasers will also receive the benefit of any sales prices that the store may be offering at the time of purchase. The store also generously extends an additional discount to the Rotary, which enables the club to increase the number of children served.

During the past sixteen years, the East Haven Rotary “Clothe the Children” program has provided clothing for almost 1000 children, which with the above mentioned discounts, totals over $ 100,000 worth of merchandise that they have received. Anyone wishing to donate may mail checks payable to the “East Haven Rotary Clothe the Children” c/o Treasurer Carl Ruggiero, 12 Oak Hill Drive, East Haven, CT 06513.

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