It's 'Back to School' time at Friends of Karen, a
locally-based organization which provides financial,
emotional and advocacy support to children with
life-threatening illnesses and their families throughout
the NY metropolitan area. The non-profit group, now in
its 29th year, is seeking donations of school supplies
and gift cards for new school clothes for the families
currently being helped.
This year's Back to School Wish List includes
department store gift cards for new fall clothing, back
packs for elementary and middle school students,
marble notebooks, three-ring binders, wide and
college ruled loose leaf paper, subject dividers, pens,
pencils, erasers, markers, hi-liters, colored pencils,
erasable pens, washable markers, rulers, pencil
cases, ruled index cards, colored post-it notes, pocket
folders, scotch tape, Elmer's glue, glue sticks,
pocket dictionaries, pencil sharpeners, assignment
pads and daily planners, book covers, locker
organizers, calculators for high school students, and
gift cards to Staples.
Donors interested in providing gift cards for new
school outfits should call Volunteer Coordinator
Denise Tredwell at (914) 277-4547 ext. 402 for the
name of a child and store. If you cannot shop, cash
donations are always appreciated.
The goal of the Back to School program is to send
the children helped by Friends of Karen and their
siblings back to school in September in a new fall
outfit with new pencils, notebooks and other school
supplies. For most of the Friends of Karen families,
back to school shopping is an overwhelming, and
often impossible task. Many parents do not have the
time or financial resources to shop for school
supplies while tending to the needs of their children
with life-threatening illnesses. That's where Friends of
Karen steps in.
All donations should be dropped off or mailed by
August 13 to the Friends of Karen office at 118 Titicus
Road, Purdys, NY 10578. Call Denise Tredwell at
(914) 277-4547 ext. 402 for additional information and
directions.
