KIDZ KARE - Wonderful Volunteer Opportunity for Kids of All Ages

       We would like to invite every child to participate in a wonderful, meaningful volunteer opportunity run by kids to help kids who are in need.  It does not require a big commitment but we have found the rewards to be huge.  When kids lead the way, amazing things happen.  

       Below is more information about Kidz Kare and our drive this year.  We welcome all children of all ages (we have had as young as 3 all the way through college).  We hope you can join us and please feel free to invite other children you know. To affect global change, we need to begin locally. Trying to help kids living in poverty or horrible circumstances is a great first place to begin.

      The immediate first step is to attend a volunteer meeting/pizza party which is this Friday night in West Hartford at the Quaker MeetingHouse at 6 p.m. We need a headcount to know how much pizza to get so:   Click Here to RSVP!  

***PLEASE FOWARD THIS TO ANY AND ALL WHO MIGHT BE INTERESTED***

        Kidz Kare is an organization started by kids to help other kids.  Each year, we hold a drive to collect items for children who are living in homeless shelters and other children in need.  These children don't have many of the things they need and it is difficult for the shelters to provide everything on their very limited budgets.  We try to bring children some of the basics as well as art and school supplies. The shelters give us wish lists of what the children need which we compile into a larger list. We all photocopy this list and staple it onto plastic grocery bags and leave them on the door of friends and neighbors. We indicate a time in the next couple of weeks when we will return to collect the filled bags.  We also collect from schools, churches, sports teams and other community organizations. Everyone who has collected items then drops them off on a designated Saturday.  We sort these goods then deliver the items to the shelters. For more information you can visit our website: www.kidzkare.org.

      Kidz Kare was started in 1999 and has grown each year to include hundreds of kids helping.  We now help multiple organizations serving children in need in Connecticut.  This year, we will also be sending goods to school children in the Dominican Republic and in Paraguay.

      We welcome children of all ages (we have had as young as 3 helping all the way up to college). We warmly welcome back those who have helped in the past in addition to those who want to get involved for the first time.  You can do as much or as little as you have time for.   In addition to knowing we are helping some kids who really need it, we always have a lot of fun.

      The first step in participating is to attend our annual planning meeting on April 4th at 6:00p.m. at The Quaker Meeting House in West Hartford. We will explain everything and eat pizza and watch a movie.  If you have to miss this, you can still participate by emailing us and we will get you everything you need. Tickets for the planning meeting will be $7 a person or $25 a family to defray the cost of the pizza. Also, if everyone attending the meeting could please bring a salad or dessert to share, that would be wonderful.

        Each year we have a Kidz Kare t-shirt for sale. This year each shirt will cost $15 and will come in two colors: red and blue. If you would like to get a shirt, you need to pre-order it. Please fill out the color and size of shirt you want on the RSVP form. You will then be able to pay for and pick up your shirt at the pizza party.

      One final thing -- start saving your plastic bags.  We will have some to give you at the meeting but you will need a lot.

      The drop-off day will be April 26th, 2014, from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at The Quaker Meeting House in West Hartford. We will need lots of volunteers to help sort the goods received.  In addition to sorting, we have lots of fun at drop-off including a lively soccer game.  Food will be provided. 

     If you have any questions at all, please feel free to email us at kidzkarect@gmail.com or to call me, Caley Henderson, at (860) 913 – 1446. If you are interested in getting a particular organization, church or school involved, please contact our Director of Liaisons, Sophie Kruger, at sophie.kidzkare@gmail.com. General information about our organization can be found at our website http://www.kidzkare.org.

       If you want to attend our planning meeting, just click here to RSVP!