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...
- 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.
Lori and Kathryn with friends from the Atlanta chapter
As Co-Presidents, Lori White and I were fortunate enough to attend the National Christ Child Society convention in Detoit on September 21, 2012. The home of Motown did not disappoint! Our host chapter of Detroit was gracious and well organized, and the convention was equal parts inspiring, informational, and fun! We benefitted greatly from our many conversations with members and board members from other chapters all over the country, sharing ideas about programs and new ways to help children. The Atlanta chapter built and maintains a learning garden at a school for disadvantaged children. The Akron chapter provides a “Teen Moms” program for teen parents in partnership with a local agency. The Detroit chapter started a literacy program within the inner city of Pontiac, where poverty rates are over 90%. These are just a few of the ways our members in over 40 chapters nationwide are making a diiference in children’s lives. We aspire to learn from them, and adapt their successes in our own programs.
The Christ Child Society table was front and center at St. Teresa’s Ministry Fair on September 14th on the Plaza! Parishioners stopped by the table to say hello and many signed up to be on our mailing list and hear more about us. Thanks to the irresistable pull of the delicious cookies made by Angeli Breen, they kept coming all day!
Lambi Newsham at the blood drive held by the Celtic Sisters at the Shillelagh Club in West Orange, NJ in November. The Celtic Sisters have a baby shower each spring to collect layette items for Christ Child Society of Summit. Two Christ Child members are also members of the Celtic Sisters - Paddie Donohue and Jackie Browne.
Christ Child volunteers Jill Stanley, Cheryl Mullery, Christie McGinn, and Sue Hubbard had a very happy Valentine’s day, sharing it with the babies at Central High. This cutie is all decked out in red hearts and bows! We also brought some small gifts for the teen parents. Candy, cards, flowers, and some treats hopefully helped these teens know that the members of the Christ Child Society of Summit appreciate how hard their job is, and how important it is to be recognized for it now and then. What better day than Valentine’s Day?
Yesterday I was fortunate enough to bump into a lovely gentleman at a Hometowne TV open house. He stopped me and mentioned that he was watching all the progress we have made with the Summit Chapter. Little did I know that Miles McMahon was the husband of Virgnia who passed away last summer. She was instrumental in the chapter and a long standing member. Miles told me she was so sad to return the Summit charter back to National. Back in the 80’s Miles told me, she couldn’t get any volunteers to make layettes. Luckily we haven’t had that problem. He also told me he was strong-armed by Virginia to not only help assemble the layettes but drive them to St. Joseph’s Social Center in Elizabeth. He had only good memories of the Chapter and has been watching our progress. Our story continues. Thank you Miles McMahon for your kind words.
If you are like me, you’re always thinking, in the back of your mind, how am I ever going to be sure my kids learn all the lessons they need in order to become good adults—the people they were meant to be in every sense. Maybe, just maybe, we don’t need to worry so much.
This Christmas, my kids were given a sum of money they could donate to the charity or charities of their choice. I figured I would need to prime the pump, Read more...
so I had cut out Nick Kristoff’s annual column on worthy charities (”buy a girl in this country a school uniform so she can attend school”, etc.). To my surprise, however, each of my daughters, when presented with the donation concept, knew exactly where she would send her money.
My one daughter wanted to give all her money to the shelter from where our dog had come...which entailed a FaceBook message to her cousin who is stationed in Mumbai with the State Department to find out from which shelter she had gotten the dog. (We had takent the dog from her, before she took her first assignment.) As a result, a no-kill shelter in August, Georgia received a donation from a girl they didn’t know in New Jersey.
My second daughter was equally clear: one half to the Smile Train (she was born with a cleft lip and palate) and one half to the Christ Child Society. Her desire to contribute to our Society floored me. Yes, she had probably been at one of the Garage Sale set ups, and attended a Christmas party at the home for girls in West Orange a few years back, but other than that, I don’t think she had, personally
participated in any activities. My only conclusion is that she observed my participation in the Christ Child (and I am always thinking I’m never doing enough in this regard) and she had some idea of the goals of the CCS (helping kids who need it). She had no doubts where her money could be used best.
So, at least in this case, the old saw holds true: that kids learn from what you do, no matter what you say.
So the old adage "do as I say, not as I do" does not really apply to you - your children are following your example in what you say AND what you do! Kudos!
Feb 2, 2012 8:38 PM
From: Lambinewsham
Apples don’t fall far from the tree! Wonderful Marybeth!
