Cradles to crayons drive underway

  • Published
  • By Mark Wyatt
  • 66th Air Base Group Public Affairs
HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. --  As children head back to school this month, looking their best in new school clothes and carrying new school supplies is a great way to start the new year. However, for many children throughout Massachusetts, heading back to school with new clothes and new school supplies won't necessarily be the case.

Two 66th Medical Squadron noncommissioned officers are leading a base drive to make sure local children are able to have clothes for school as well as notebooks and other school supplies. Tech. Sgt. Patrice Davis and Staff Sgt. Christopher Lambert are leading an effort on base to collect children's clothes and school supplies to donate to a non-profit group, Cradles to Crayons.

Cradles to Crayons provides children from birth through age 12 living in homeless or low-income situations with the essential items they need to thrive at home, school and at play.

According to the Cradles to Crayons website, the organization's vision is "...that one day every child will have the essentials they need to feel safe, warm, ready to learn and valued."

"Who doesn't like the first day of school in their new clothes and school supplies," Davis said.

The NCOs wanted to get more involved from an experience they had last fall while volunteering to sort through items in the Cradles to Crayons warehouse.

"Last fall an email was sent to everyone in the clinic to volunteer at Cradles to Crayons to help sort and organize donated items," said Davis. "It was such a great experience and something I really wanted to get more involved with."

Davis feels strongly about getting involved in her community and feels particularly motivated here as a result of the support from the community that she sees every day.

"The local community here is incredibly supportive of the military and I thought this was a perfect way to give back," said Davis. "It seems every day or every other day the community is sending their appreciation to us."

Donations are not exclusive to new clothes; "well-conditioned clothes" are welcomed, too.

"The change in your pocket could buy crayons for a child that could use them in school," said Davis. "Every little bit helps."

The school drive was originally planned to run through the start of school, however, organizers decided to extend it through the end of September as a result of the need for local children, organizers said.

To learn more about Cradles to Crayons, visit their website at http://www.cradlestocrayons.org/boston.

Anyone interested in making a donation can do so through the end of September at the Medical Clinic Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For larger items that are donated, contact Tech. Sgt. Davis to deliver at 781-225-6299 or Tech. Sgt. Lambert at 781-225-6185.