South Florida Sun-Sentinel Palm Beach (Sunday)
With holidays ahead, Children’s Aid Club has plan to keep gifts coming
For 66 years, the Children’s Aid Club, an all-volunteer organization, has been helping South Florida children and families in need. By partnering with nonprofits and schools, including Broward Partnership for the Homeless, Pace Center for Girls and Cypress Elementary School in Pompano Beach, the organization fills in the gap between what these organizations can provide and what its charitable recipients need. It does not give money directly to individuals but rather provides necessary goods and basic services for families with children who are served by its partner charities.
Like most charitable organizations, the Children’s Aid Club had to adjust its day-to-day operations after the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated statewide social distancing guidelines and closures to stop its spread.
“Lots of people assumed that we couldn’t do anything now that we didn’t have the money that our golf tournament brings in,” Barbara Hume, a 32-year club member, said about the annual May event that typically raises $50,000 for the organization’s charitable partners. “But we’ve been able to continue to do good, and we had some money set aside.”
When South Florida’s schools closed their doors in March, the Children’s Aid Club became even more focused on helping families in need, since more of them were now facing unemployment because of the pandemic. Since the club’s onsite charitable events were canceled, it was able to reallocate funds set aside for these efforts in order to help the individuals who needed the most assistance at the time.
“We were able to give over $23,000 in Publix gift cards to families, and told them that if they needed help with rent and utilities we could help with that too, and were able to put $19,000 toward that,” Hume said.
In October, the club sent out its annual holiday appeal letter to solicit donations for the toy, gift card, clothing and monetary donations that allow it to bring Christmas to its sponsored families every year.
“Normally, we ask people to adopt a particular family and purchase items off their wish list but this year, because of the pandemic, we asked for cash donations,” Hume said. “We have had a great response and have already received over $6,000, which is remarkable,” she said, adding that this amount is likely more than the cumulative value of what sponsors have donated in previous years.
The Children’s Place clothing store also donated over 100 boxes of unsold items from three of its locations.
“This was a big help,” said Hume, as clothing items are an essential component of the club’s holiday gift basket donations.
Coconut Creek resident Irene Feldman, who has been anointed the Children’s Aid Club’s “Christmas Angel” despite her Jewish heritage, has been donating extensively to the organization for the past decade, and this year was no exception. Feldman is renting two storage lockers, each filled to 7 feet, with over $4,000 worth of games, dolls and books.
“No weapons, no guns,” said Feldman, who shops all year to help with the Christmas gift drive. She makes sure to visit the shops right after Christmas when items are heavily discounted.
Feldman urges others to get involved in such philanthropic efforts.
“Even if you go to the dollar store and spend just $5, it’s wonderful to know that someone who has nothing is getting a little bit of something for the holiday,” she said. “We haven’t stopped working for our community. We have even increased our efforts and have added 12 additional families [as sponsees] since August. We’re now sponsoring 37 families in total.”
Email Barbara Hume at cacbarbarahume@ gmail.com about a tax-deductible donation to the Children’s Aid Club for their holiday drive, or visit childrensaidclub.org.