On February 1st, Lori and I were honored to receive a check from Summit’s Luminary Fund in support of the Christ Child Society’s Layette Program. Each year the Luminary Fund supports an amazing group of non-profit organizations that in turn support Summit citizens, from infants to seniors. The Luminary Fund is able to provide these funds due to the generosity of Summit citizens who purchase thousands of luminaries each December to illuminate our town on December 24th. As Miles MacMahon, another Luminary Fund recipient, so aptly put it, “the luminary effect”, or “glow,” starts with the people who buy and display these beautiful lights throughout the town. It is spread through the good works of the people who run the program led by Barbara Romano. Lastly, it is felt by every Summit citizen who benefits from the services provided by fund recipients including the Summit First Aid Squad, SAGE, Senior Connections, Area Baby Center, and more. Thank you to the Luminary Fund and to all these organizations for making Summit “glow.”
Thank you to all of our members who so generously gave of their time, treasure, and talents this December in helping with the Advent Giving Tree at St. Teresa’s and the Christmas party and gifts for the teens and babies at Central High School in Newark. As you may know, the Advent Giving Tree provides the babies at Central with gifts for Christmas. The director of the Center at Central High School wrote:
“I would like to thank the members of Christ Child Society of Summit for the generous donation of Gifts, Goodies and the luncheon you all provided for the Teen parents, the children and the staff at Central High. Without the support of CCSS I cannot provide these social events to the families we serve.
Please pass on this message to all and Merry Christmas to you all.
On behalf of the Teen parents and Staff at The Infant and Toddler Early Learning Center at Central High School, Thank you very much for all your support throughout the year.”
May God bless you and keep you safe during your travels this Christmas and give you peace in the new year.
Our 2013 Rummage Sale was held on Saturday, October 19th in Memorial Hall from 8 am to 2 pm. Thank you to the scores of people who donated their treasures, to those who gave these treasures a new life by purchasing them, and to the many volunteers who made it all run smoothly. “Customers” were lined up outside our doors for our 8 am opening, and the crowds kept coming until we closed the doors at 2:00 pm! Read more...
It was a successful day all around! Many people got to recycle their “treasures,” and many others got to snatch up those treasures at bargain basement prices! Our young volunteers also ran a successful bake sale, adding to our proceeds. This event has come to be much anticipated by the community. Proceeds will go to fund our programs for children, including our layette program, our school supplies program, and our Christ Child Society scholarship.
Just in time for school, 323 children eligible for free and reduced lunches received new backpacks and school supplies. For the fifth year, the Christ Child Society of Summit and Bridges Outreach collaborated to collect hundreds of binders, spiral and composition notebooks, pens, pencils and much more. In addition, $2,500 worth of additional supplies were purchased from funds raised by both groups. It is estimated that each child received supplies valuing $65. Parents were able to take the financial resources that would have been used for school supplies to pay for food, rent, and other necessities.Read more...
More than twenty volunteers assisted the children during distribution this August. Thanks to a grant from the Summit Area Public Foundation, every child received a new backpack. Bridges, along with Mondo, Hilltop Bank, Coldwell Banker, Lois Schneider Realty, and St. Teresa’s served as donation points for school supplies. Adding to the summer donations, students were asked to contribute supplies before leaving for summer vacation. “This has become a community event. It’s nice to see Summit come together to help its children,” commented Sally Golding and Jane Murphy, co-chairs of the event.
Just in time for school, 323 children eligible for free and reduced lunches received new backpacks and school supplies. For the fifth year, the Christ Child Society of Summit and Bridges Outreach collaborated to collect hundreds of binders, spiral and composition notebooks, pens, pencils and much more. In addition, $2,500 worth of additional supplies were purchased from funds raised by both groups. It is estimated that each child received supplies valuing $65. Parents were able to take the financial resources that would have been used for school supplies to pay for food, rent, and other neccessities.Read more...
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Just in time for school, 323 children eligible for free and reduced lunches received new backpacks and school supplies. For the fifth year, the Christ Child Society of Summit and Bridges Outreach collaborated to collect hundreds of binders, spiral and composition notebooks, pens, pencils and much more. In addition, $2,500 worth of additional supplies were purchased from funds raised by both groups. It is estimated that each child received supplies valuing $65. Parents were able to take the financial resources that would have been used for school supplies to pay for food, rent, and other neccessities.Read more...
- See more at: ./index.php?cID=1059#sthash.JXa2Dfdj.dpuf
Just in time for school, 323 children eligible for free and reduced lunches received new backpacks and school supplies. For the fifth year, the Christ Child Society of Summit and Bridges Outreach collaborated to collect hundreds of binders, spiral and composition notebooks, pens, pencils and much more. In addition, $2,500 worth of additional supplies were purchased from funds raised by both groups. It is estimated that each child received supplies valuing $65. Parents were able to take the financial resources that would have been used for school supplies to pay for food, rent, and other neccessities.Read more...
- See more at: ./index.php?cID=1059#sthash.JXa2Dfdj.dpuf
The Christ Child Society of Summit awarded its first annual scholarship on June 12, 2013, to Jackie Balandiuk, a Summit High School senior who will attend Boston University this fall to study psychology. The Scholarship is awarded to a High School senior who lives or attends school in Summit, is in good standing academically, who has volunteered or worked with children, and is continuing their education after high school. Read more...
Special thanks to our 2013 Scholarship committee - Maura Perier, Christina Amundson, Allison Lees, Bev Luehs, and Jackie Browne for reading and evaluating the many applications we received, in a short time frame. Thank you!
Pictured above L to R: Christ Child Co-President Kathryn Colao, SHS Director of Guidance Dr. John Schnedeker, Christ Child Board member Maura Perier, Recipient Jackie Balandiuk, Vanessa Balandiuk, Christ Child Co-President Lori White, and Christ Child Board member Christina Amundson.
Our 2013 Rummage Sale was held on Saturday, October 19th in Memorial Hall from 8 am to 2 pm. Thank you to the scores of people who donated their treasures, to those who gave these treasures a new life by purchasing them, and to the many volunteers who made it all run smoothly. “Customers” were lined up outside our doors for our 8 am opening, and the crowds kept coming until we closed the doors at 2:00 pm! Read more...
It was a successful day all around! Many people got to recycle their “treasures,” and many others got to snatch up those treasures at bargain basement prices! Our young volunteers also ran a successful bake sale, adding to our proceeds. This event has come to be much anticipated by the community. Proceeds will go to fund our programs for children, including our layette program, our school supplies program, and our Christ Child Society scholarship.
Just in time for school, 323 children eligible for free and reduced lunches received new backpacks and school supplies. For the fifth year, the Christ Child Society of Summit and Bridges Outreach collaborated to collect hundreds of binders, spiral and composition notebooks, pens, pencils and much more. In addition, $2,500 worth of additional supplies were purchased from funds raised by both groups. It is estimated that each child received supplies valuing $65. Parents were able to take the financial resources that would have been used for school supplies to pay for food, rent, and other necessities.Read more...
More than twenty volunteers assisted the children during distribution this August. Thanks to a grant from the Summit Area Public Foundation, every child received a new backpack. Bridges, along with Mondo, Hilltop Bank, Coldwell Banker, Lois Schneider Realty, and St. Teresa’s served as donation points for school supplies. Adding to the summer donations, students were asked to contribute supplies before leaving for summer vacation. “This has become a community event. It’s nice to see Summit come together to help its children,” commented Sally Golding and Jane Murphy, co-chairs of the event.
Just in time for school, 323 children eligible for free and reduced lunches received new backpacks and school supplies. For the fifth year, the Christ Child Society of Summit and Bridges Outreach collaborated to collect hundreds of binders, spiral and composition notebooks, pens, pencils and much more. In addition, $2,500 worth of additional supplies were purchased from funds raised by both groups. It is estimated that each child received supplies valuing $65. Parents were able to take the financial resources that would have been used for school supplies to pay for food, rent, and other neccessities.Read more...
- See more at: ./index.php?cID=1059#sthash.JXa2Dfdj.dpuf
Just in time for school, 323 children eligible for free and reduced lunches received new backpacks and school supplies. For the fifth year, the Christ Child Society of Summit and Bridges Outreach collaborated to collect hundreds of binders, spiral and composition notebooks, pens, pencils and much more. In addition, $2,500 worth of additional supplies were purchased from funds raised by both groups. It is estimated that each child received supplies valuing $65. Parents were able to take the financial resources that would have been used for school supplies to pay for food, rent, and other neccessities.Read more...
- See more at: ./index.php?cID=1059#sthash.JXa2Dfdj.dpuf
Just in time for school, 323 children eligible for free and reduced lunches received new backpacks and school supplies. For the fifth year, the Christ Child Society of Summit and Bridges Outreach collaborated to collect hundreds of binders, spiral and composition notebooks, pens, pencils and much more. In addition, $2,500 worth of additional supplies were purchased from funds raised by both groups. It is estimated that each child received supplies valuing $65. Parents were able to take the financial resources that would have been used for school supplies to pay for food, rent, and other neccessities.Read more...
- See more at: ./index.php?cID=1059#sthash.JXa2Dfdj.dpuf
The Christ Child Society of Summit awarded its first annual scholarship on June 12, 2013, to Jackie Balandiuk, a Summit High School senior who will attend Boston University this fall to study psychology. The Scholarship is awarded to a High School senior who lives or attends school in Summit, is in good standing academically, who has volunteered or worked with children, and is continuing their education after high school. Read more...
Special thanks to our 2013 Scholarship committee - Maura Perier, Christina Amundson, Allison Lees, Bev Luehs, and Jackie Browne for reading and evaluating the many applications we received, in a short time frame. Thank you!
Pictured above L to R: Christ Child Co-President Kathryn Colao, SHS Director of Guidance Dr. John Schnedeker, Christ Child Board member Maura Perier, Recipient Jackie Balandiuk, Vanessa Balandiuk, Christ Child Co-President Lori White, and Christ Child Board member Christina Amundson.
Thank you again to our members and friends who came out to support our second Blankets for Babies Day, sponsored by the Summit Elks, on May 16th. Nearly 30 people, young and old, came by the Elks Lodge on Thursday, May 16th to help cut, pin, sew, fringe and tie blankets for our layettes. The Elks very generously provided a grant for the fleece, as well as volunteers, their lodge, and refreshments. It was a very special day filled with community, camaraderie, good cheer, and good works - all on behalf of needy children. We were able to finish 27 blankets, and ended the day with 134 more in various stages of completion. Thank you to all who helped make the day a success. Many babies will enjoy a warm, adorable blanket because of you. Kudos to Lambi Newsham for initiating contact with the Elks and securing our very first grant!
The day before Valentine’s Day, an “angel” called me out of the blue and said “Someone gave me 5 large boxes of bibs...does Christ Child know anyone who can use them?” Did we ever!! Since the start of the school year, the staff at the Infant and Toddler Early Learning Center at Central High School in Newark has been asking if we could get them bibs, LOTS of them, since the babies go through them so quickly, and they tend to get pretty yucky, pretty fast. Here was a gift of bibs, LOTS of them, from out of nowhere. Well, not exactly nowhere. The “angel” saw our name in the bulletin and knew of our organization because her mother was a member of the original Summit chapter of the Christ Child Society. Her mother joined Christ Child when she moved to Summit from Brooklyn when she was in her EIGHTIES. She lived to be 103 years old. It just goes to show, it’s never too late to make a difference!
Over 100 CCS members and members of the St. Teresa of Avila community came together on Wednesday, February 6th, for the first annual Blankets for Babies Day. St. Teresa’s Memorial Hall was organized so that there were different workstations allowing even those if us who don’t really care to sew an opportunity to help with the project: some sewed, others cut and pinned the fleece, one very excited group got to use a truly awesome invention called a fringer (who knew such a thing existed) and our rock star teens tied the fringe. Well over 100 of CCS’s signature carriage blankets were completed, ready to be packed up in our next bundle of Layettes that will go out the door to Overlook and Morristown hospitals. It was a great day! CCS members had a chance to catch up, meet some new friends, eat the delicious snacks provided by our hospitality team, Maura and Lambi, but most importantly so many were able to do some great work for those kids that really need warm clothes and a cozy blanket. No discussion of the day would be complete without mention of the great job done by Theresa and Janet, who organized and mapped out the logistics, bought the material, and found enough people with sewing machines to make the day really work. Job well done!
One year ago, we held out first mass in a member’s home, and a tradition was born. We have since held four masses in members’ homes, and have two more scheduled for this year. It is such a wonderful, spiritual way to celebrate our Christ Child community! As Msgr. Guenther would say, “it’s a Catholic thing!” Pictured at right is Fr. Brian Plate at the lovely home of Maria Jacobello.
