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Jun 2010  |  By Mibs  |  Comments

July 2010 Give Time, Give Things, Give Support

This month's picks for people, places and things with which you can make a difference:

 

Give Things:

One Hope United
One Hope United is seeking school supplies for more than 1,000 kids ages 5 to 18 for their back-to-school drive. Needs include backpacks/bookbags, Number Two pencils, pens, crayons, dry erase markers, pencil cases, rulers, paper, notebooks, manuscript notebooks, markers, scissors, glue, glue sticks, boxes of tissues, lunchboxes, erasers and gift cards. Volunteers also needed to help fill the backpacks and deliver them to various distribution centers.

For more information or to get involved, call or email Marilee LaMattina at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Evanston School Children's Clothing Association
ESCCA provides school clothing for all Evanston/Skokie District 65 K-8th grade school children in need. They need warm jackets, coats and snow pants in all sizes, but particularly extra large sizes, 14 to 18. Each year they provide a full wardrobe of clothing and shoes to 500 to 600 children. Clothing assistance services are performed efficiently and discreetly and always keep the dignity of the families in mind.

Drop off at the ESCCA bin behind Dist. 65 administration building, 1500 McDaniel Ave., Evanston.

Encore: A Little City Re-Sale Shop
Little City Foundation’s re-sale shop, Encore, is accepting donations of gently used clothing, shoes, accessories, toys, games and home accents. 100 percent of the sales at Encore benefit Little City Foundation. For more than 50 years, Little City has successfully created hope, changed lives and challenged the limits placed on children and adults with autism and other intellectual and developmental disabilities.  

Donations are accepted during regular store hours, Monday—Saturday, 10 a.m.—6 p.m. After hours, items can be dropped in either of the two green donation bins located outside the shop. All donations are tax deductible.

Give Time:

Normal Moments, Inc.
Volunteers are needed to help with housecleaning, lawn maintenance and pet care to help alleviate daily home stress while parents sit with their hospital-bound child. Normal Moments is devoted to supporting parents with critically ill children so they can spend as much time as possible sharing “normal moments” with their children.

Contact Patricia Fragen at  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Glencoe Historical Society
Join a weekly group of volunteers that meets every Wednesday to keep the archives up-to-date, solving history's mysteries and researching questions from the community. You don't have to know history to help out. Dive into a photo collection, read old newspapers for clippings or organize a person's life using old documents like a jigsaw puzzle.   

Contact Christine Kengott, Volunteer Coordinator, at 847-835-0040.

North Shore Academy
Volunteers invited to work with middle school students for 3 to 6 hours a week to develop and maintain an outdoor classroom garden. Students will develop and cook a healthy lunch menu with the produce that they grow. Remaining produce will be donated to the Highland Park Community Food Pantry. Volunteers needed through mid-September.  
Contact Stephen Donart at 847-831-0603 x496.

Give Support:

Turning Point Behavioral Halth Care Center
Turning Point provides comprehensive mental health care to all, regardless of financial resources, insurance coverage or intensity of need. Currently, almost two-thirds of their clients are below the poverty level. Essential funding from the state and other vital sources is not enough to provide the care that the mentally ill need and deserve.

Donations can be mailed, phoned in, or made securely online at tpoint.org.

Special Gifts Theatre
Special Gifts Theatre provides a creative drama experience for children and teens with special needs. Their programs develop creative abilities, build friendships and honor each individual’s creative spirit. Help make a difference in the lives of these students and break down stereotypes about individuals with disabilities.  

Donations can be made at specialgiftstheatre.com.

Interfaith Housing Center of the Northern Suburbs
The Interfaith Housing Center has been north suburban Chicago's premier advocate for fair and affordable housing since 1972. Services include fair housing enforcement, foreclosure and predatory lending prevention, home-sharing, landlord/tenant complaint investigation, as well as education and advocacy to promote understanding and support for fair housing. Contributions allow this organization to operate their housing programs, maintain their office, hire and train staff, and support community activism.

Donate at interfaithhousingcenter.org.