Caring for Kids: Happy Hearts Dinner Auction

By: Diane Formoso

 

Caring for Kids works on a daily basis to help our kids in need in Clover Park School District. We are an all-volunteer organization providing free clothing, school supplies, hygiene products, food, books, and holiday gifts. Unfortunately this year the City of Lakewood has cut $12,000 from our Ready to Learn Fair Grant. Last year during the three RTL Fair events we helped 2,801 kids with backpacks, school supplies, hygiene products and a host of other amenities.

Our major fundraiser the Happy Hearts Dinner Auction is on February 9^th at the McGavick Center at Clover Park Technical College. Tickets are only $35.00. We are asking for your help by encouraging everyone you know to attend the auction. Please invite friends, family and staff so we can fill the McGavick Center with 500 people. We are also asking for help with donations of live and silent auction items.  Order your tickets now! This year’s auction is more important than ever!

Please contact Diane for more information 279-9777 or carekids@comcast.net

Besides our everyday work this is the additional fundraising and events we held to help our kids in November and December:

·         On November 10^th we held our annual Stuff the Bus at Clover Park High School. For six hours we had fifty enthusiastic high school students along with the adults stand outside encouraging the community to support Caring for Kids by donating toys and cash for the Holiday Fair.

·         We sold 1,130 poinsettias to help defray the cost of the Holiday Fair. The poinsettias were delivered to us on December 4^th.  With the help of Adam Hedren we delivered almost all the plants in a day and a half.

·         Friday the 7^th we set up for the Holiday Fair with the Fair being on the 8^th. Approximately 150 kids and adults volunteered to make the Fair a success helping over 2,000 kids in need and their families. 

·         Our new project is collecting color books and crayons to be distributed at the food bank and the food truck.  We collected over 1,000 sets. Seven hundred and fifty were delivered to the Fish Food Bank. On the 23^rd we were committed to handing out small gifts, books, color books and crayons at the Food Connection Truck in Springbrook. This is our fourth year.  We also handed out stockings at the Methodist Church dinner at the food bank.