A little longer for a miracle

Final push wraps up Christmas Is For Kids drive

ATTLEBORO - All 950 children on the Christmas Is For Kids gift drive will no doubt have their wish lists completed - but not without a lot of extra effort from the drive's elves, and perhaps a little more help from the community.

Wednesday night was the last night of the extended hours of the donor center, after Saturday's scheduled last day left the wish lists of 100 children still to be completed.

The community rallied to the cause the past three days of the extended drive, but organizer Kelly Fox and her legion of about 150 volunteers, called elves, still had much work to do to wrap things up in order to get the promised gifts to the parents of each child on the list.

Christmas Is For Kids volunteer Bill Jones checks bags of gifts at the old Brennan Middle School Wednesday. (Photos by Mike George)

"We've had quite a few monetary donations come in that allowed us to be able to get out and do some shopping for the kids who had not received anything. Plus, we had quite a few phone calls between late last night and today, and we were able to match up the last of the children. And, between the donors who are shopping for children and the money that's come in, we're just doing the last-minute scramble."

Christmas Is For Kids director Kelly Fox helps sort toys on Wednesday.

Janette Boulay can be reached at 508-406-1217 or by e-mail at janette.boulay@gmail.com.

Drive's goal within sight as all but 20 kids have donors

To help complete the lists of the remaining children, Fox says for anyone who would just like to buy something, basic items such as balls and gift cards to places such as Game Stop and Simon Properties malls such as Emerald Square in North Attleboro still would be much appreciated.

Fox said quite a few people came in Monday with general gifts they purchased to help fill in the gaps, and she said the remaining donors have been contacted, and she is confident they will come through over the new few days.

The donor center, located at 135 County St., in the original Attleboro High School building, will be open from 5 to 8 p.m. tonight, and possibly on Friday, but definitely not on Thursday as the elves will be tending to another important part of the drive.

The donor line phone number is 508-226-0911.

More time for kids

"We've got a lot of kids we still need to buy for, and we don't want anyone to go without," said Fox.

Earlier on Saturday, the donor center was bustling with activity.

The donations came in waves even before the doors opened at 9 a.m. Saturday - the last official day of donations for needy area children.

More than 100 volunteers rushed from one task to another, sorting toys in accordance to the each of the 950 "story sheets," which details what each particular child wants or needs for Christmas. The sheets were then matched to donors who pledged to give a specific item to a certain child.

"I get a chill every time I walk in here," said Fox as she stepped into the library, which served as a staging area for the countless bags of toys awaiting children who might not have had anything under the Christmas tree this year.

The library was not the only room in the school crowded with bags of toys. Other rooms on the second floor temporarily housed dozens of bags, each room according to the several area community agencies that Christmas Is For Kids works with to make sure the children are taken care of. Those agencies include The Literacy Center, the Young Parents program, the Department of Children and Families and the Journey Home program.

Many of the rooms were so full that it was nearly impossible to walk through. One room in particular moved Fox to tears: the New Hope Program room.

"I can't wrap my head around that part," Fox whispered. "They all break my heart."

Early in the afternoon, it was all hands on deck as the South Attleboro Lions Club dropped off enough donation bags to fill five rolling bins. An hour later, another donor brought in $750 worth of general donations, one bag of which contained children's socks - exactly what some volunteers realized earlier that they were lacking.

"Isn't it fantastic?" five-year volunteer Rick Carlson said.

North Attleboro residents Sue Gilmore and Tracey Carlson have been processing applications together for the past three years, working 25 hours a week, Mondays through Fridays, and even some Saturdays.

Both women look forward to seeing the joyful tears of needy families Distribution Day.

"It's incredible how people can survive on so little," said Gilmore, who has been a volunteer for six years. "They're absolutely amazing."

Christmas Is For Kids ending today

So, once again, the volunteer elves who do everything from answer the donor lines to checking off the items on each child's list will be working fast and frenzied to complete their tasks - and also have to be prepared to do some last-minute shopping over the next few days.

The elves will have to use the monetary donations that have come in from various donations to date, and Fox says more cash donations are needed, as the money will also be needed for additional children she has had to put on a waiting list.

To help fill in the many items needed on this last day of the drive, Fox notes that the following items would be much appreciated today: gift cards for teenagers to places such as such as Game Stop, American Eagle and CVS and Itunes; movie passes; clothing for children, including outfits, in boys sizes 7-18, girls sizes 2-18 and junior sizes 7-15; and socks in all sizes; toys, including transformers, Legos, dolls, basketballs and footballs.

The donor center, located at 135 County St., in the original Attleboro High School building, will be open until 8 p.m. today and the donor line phone number is 508-226-0911.

Janette Boulay can be reached at 508-406-1217 or by e-mail at janette.boulay@gmail.com.

Christmas Is For Kids officials said donations from individuals and groups will be used toward fulfulling the Christmas dreams of more than 800 children this year.

 Deadline coming for Christmas toy drive

200 children still to be matched

ATTLEBORO - It's just been a week and a half since this year's Christmas Is for Kids gift drive began, but with a shorter runtime this year, the end of the drive is already just days away.

The drive ends at 5 p.m. Saturday, in fact, and organizer Kelly Fox urges area residents to help the drive's elves to pull it together once again.

"We've got about 200 children still to be matched," Fox said. "We definitely still need the phones to ring so that we can get those kids matched up. And, just as important, we need the people who have called in to get matched to children to come in by Saturday at 5 p.m. at the latest so that we can do what we need to do here."

There are now about 900 children on the list overall, and Fox says that some of those children have been added to the drive's annual waiting list, which she had to start this past Saturday.

For anyone who has not yet called in to be matched with a child to purchase gifts for, Fox says items needed in general to try to fill children's wish lists are clothing in a range of sizes, gift cards, movie passes, toys, games - virtually anything at this point, she says. For people who have already selected children to purchase gifts for, as well as anyone planning to purchase general gifts for children, Fox says it is very important to remember Saturday's deadline.

As for the waiting list, Fox says Christmas Is For Kids is going to make every effort to see that those children get gifts while also doing everything it can to be good stewards of donors' money.

"We are double-checking with The Salvation Army and with other organizations in the area to make sure that we can cross-reference to make sure that people are only going to be helped by one organization," Fox said.

"There are just not enough resources at this point for people to be helped by two or three organizations, so we are doing the best to be good stewards of the donations that are coming into us by doing the cross-referencing every way we can."

The donor center is located for the second year at 135 County St., in the original Attleboro High School building, and open from 5 to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, through Dec. 10, and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.

The donor line phone number is 508-226-0911.  

Gift drive heads to wire

ATTLEBORO - There are only four days left to help Christmas Is For Kids fulfill the wish lists of every child on its list, and there are at least 215 children's lists yet to be completed.

The list now includes 912 children, with the addition of applications that have come in through parents and social service agencies over the past week.

Organizer Kelly Fox, who heads up the drive for the Greater Attleboro Council for Children, says the number of additional requests has slowed day-to-day, but notes she will continue to review applications as they come in.

Thanks to the efforts of many local groups, the volunteers have been able to check off many of the items on children's wish lists. But Fox says it's still vital for donors to be matched with children, and the phones haven't been ringing nearly as much as they should.

"We've been able to match up quite a lot internally due to the donations that folks dropped off that were not earmarked for a specific child," Fox said. "The toys that came in over the weekend from the Achin's toy drive, the Attleboro Police Department's Stuff-a-cruiser event and the North Attleboro Fire Department's Kids Day dropoff were a tremendous help." Although she would prefer to have donors calling in to be matched with children, Fox says it would be much appreciated if anyone would like to just pick up gift cards to stores such as American Eagle, Game Stop or Hollister. Also needed are iTunes gift cards, movie passes, infant toys, girls' toys and educational toys.

With so few days left in the drive, another big concern, as it is every year is that even for the children who have been matched with donors - close to 90 percent of those items pledged have not yet been dropped off at the donor center, so Fox urges donors to drop their gifts off as soon as possible to help avoid what is usually a mad rush on the drive's last day.

The donor center, located at 135 County St., in the original Attleboro High School building, will be open from 5 to 8 p.m. through Friday and from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday. The donor line phone number is 508-226-0911.

 Christmas is for Kids Gift Drive
Backyard News 12/3/11

 For the past twenty-eight years the Attleboro Area Council for Children’s Christmas is for Kids initiative has made sure that no needy child in our local area wakes up on Christmas morning without presents under the tree.  In 2010, 913 children received a bag of gifts and with a week still to go this year, 900 children were already on the list, indicating that this year’s numbers may outpace last year’s.

Christmas is for Kids services children in North Attleboro, Attleboro, Seekonk, Norton and Rehoboth. Families are selected through a thorough application process, which analyzes income and expenses to be sure that a need truly exists.  Organizers also work closely with local social service agencies such as the Department of Children and Families, Community Cares Services and New Hope.  The children who are helped face challenges that are beyond their age:  poverty, cold, hunger, illness – sometimes their own and sometimes their parents’, parents struggling with mental illness or substance abuse, or parents who are no longer in the household due to abandonment or incarceration.  

The donors who support the gift drive give hope to these children by letting them know that they haven’t been forgotten.  Toy drives organized by Achin’s Garage in North Attleboro, the Attleboro Police Departments’ Stuff-a-Cruiser event and other collection sites around the area such as Walgreen’s, Needletech and the Attleboro District Court make a huge difference in  filling the children’s wishes.  Several local churches and companies start before Thanksgiving by contacting organizers early to get matched to children.

Of course, none of the magic could happen without the volunteers who work behind the scenes all year to prepare the space, hold classes for the parents, and reach out to donors and other groups and organizations to be sure that all of the processes are ready and will run smoothly.   

With more than 200 children yet to be matched, and the clock ticking away quickly, organizers are asking anyone who still wants to help to reach out to them before December 10th.  People wishing to donate can get matched to a child by calling 508-226-2336 or drop off any new toys or clothes that will be matched to a child’s wish list at the drop-off center at 135 County Street (Route 123) in Attleboro.  Monetary donations will also be accepted at Rockland Trust in Attleboro and North Attleboro or at the drop-off center.

Donations, need on rise

Many general items have been dropped off at the donor center from local drives and from people who have dropped off donations.

Using these "shelf" items, the drive's volunteer elves have been able to check off items on each child's wish list.

For others who would like to just purchase gifts for the drive and not be matched to a specific child, Fox notes that items such as infant toys, soft (cloth) baby dolls, Legos, Transformers, doll houses, soccer balls, footballs, puzzles, arts and crafts, and blankets, are still good items to help round out the wish lists of children. Clothing is also another good thing to drop off, particularly tops, pants and slippers, and in just about any size right now from newborn to size 20, girls and boys.

But she also notes that, thanks to donations so far, pajamas and coats are not needed.

All in all, however, Fox says it is still important for donors to call and be matched with specific children in order to complete each child's wish list.

Otherwise, the volunteers have to scramble at the last minute to shop for specific items.

Christmas is for Kids: List of Kids Continues to Grow

Please call the Donor Line at 508-226-0911 for a complete list of the children still available on the Wish List!

Gift drive makes progress

BY JANETTE BOULAY FOR THE SUN CHRONICLE

Wednesday, November 30, 2011 1:52 AM EST

More than 400 matched; number may exceed 1,000

ATTLEBORO - The 28th annual Christmas Is For Kids gift drive is in full swing, with volunteers and donors doing

their part to help make sure that no local child goes without presents.

The elves have been busy answering phones at the donor center to match children with donors, and volunteers of all

ages have been helping to sort out gifts. But there's still a lot to be done, according to organizer Kelly Fox, who heads up the drive for the Greater

Attleboro Council for Children.

At the close of the donor center Tuesday night, Fox said there were about 805 children

on the list, and about half of those - 428 - were matched with donors.

But Fox also said she has new applications to review from area children's agencies from

which she expects will result in another 200 or so children being added to the list.

The donor center, at 135 County St. in the original Attleboro High School building, is

open from 5 to 8 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, through Dec. 9, and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 3, and from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 10. The donor line number is

508-226-0911. For donors who might like to shop, but not be matched to a child, Fox said

items such as infant toys, soft (cloth) baby dolls, Legos, Transformers, doll houses,

soccer balls, footballs, puzzles, arts and crafts and blankets are needed.

Clothing is also needed, particularly tops, pants and slippers, and in just about any size

right now from newborn to size 20, girls and boys. But she also notes that thanks to

donations so far, pajamas and coats are not needed.

Fox was especially grateful for the younger volunteers.

"I know I say it often, but I love seeing the teens come in and help," Fox said. "They are

always wonderful and willing to do whatever we need to have done. They take this very

seriously, they "get it" that we're helping children in their towns and you can see that

they want to do everything they can to make a difference ... and they are great when it

comes time to shop, I always ask for their opinion when we're finishing up the bags."

Please call the Donor Line at 508-226-0911 for a complete list of the children still available on the Wish List!

Annual gift drive gathers steam

ATTLEBORO - The Attleboro Area Council for Children's 28th annual Christmas Is For Kids' gift drive will get started in earnest today, when the donor lines open for two hours in conjunction with the publication of its wish list for hundreds of children in today's edition of The Sun Chronicle.

The donor lines actually opened early last week for three days for the first time in the gift drive's history, and Council for Children President Kelly Fox hopes to continue that in future years because some progress was made on this year's drive.

Fox said 100 of the 750 children on the list were matched, and thanks to the companies, organizations and churches that traditionally call to adopt groups of children before the drive officially opens, an additional 130 or so children also have already been matched, she said.

"I'm glad that we started early, and of course wish that we had matched more children, but I think that we'll do it again," Fox said.

"More and more people will be aware of the earlier start year after year and the numbers will grow. We matched 100 children earlier than last year, so overall, I can't be disappointed. It's a great start, especially given the dramatic increase we've seen in applicants year after year."

"Although the economic climate isn't helping in general, the vast majority of the children we're helping are facing issues much larger than having a parent without a job," she said.

Fox said the children on the list face multiple issues - from parents with mental illnesses or addictions to parents who are absent or who have died, leaving a spouse to cope with children and less income. In addition, many children are facing their own health and addiction problems.

"Any one of these issues would bring many adults to their knees, but the children don't know to give up, and we're certainly not giving up on them," Fox said.

Please call the Donor Line at 508-226-0911 for a complete list of the children still available on the Wish List!

Council for Children helps Norton families through the holidays

Norton — More than 100 volunteer “elves” turned out for the Christmas is for Kids training in Attleboro Saturday.

Slow start for Christmas is for Kids
BY MATT KAKLEY SUN CHRONICLE STAFF
Monday, November 21, 2011 2:11 AM EST

Effort to jump-start gift drive falls short on first day

Christmas Is for Kids got off to a sluggish start Sunday, but organizers are hoping things will pick up soon.

The program, which provides holiday presents for underprivileged children in the area, opened its phone lines Sunday to less than stellar results, according to Kelly Fox, president of the Attleboro Area Council for Children, which runs the gift drive.

"It was much quieter than we would have hoped," Fox said.

Fox attributed the slow start to a decision to begin the drive a week earlier than usual, a move designed to allow donors to include the needy children's wish lists when they do their Black Friday shopping.

In the past, the drive kicked off on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, when The Sun Chronicle publishes the children's wish lists. "People are used to looking for the list, but now we're doing it a week ahead," Fox said.

Although the list hasn't been published, Fox said organizers have the children's information and can match up donors and kids in need.

Phone lines will be open again today and Tuesday from 5 to 8 p.m. Call 508-226-0911.

The call center will also be open Mondays through Fridays, Nov. 28-Dec. 2 and Dec. 5-9, and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on two Saturdays, Dec. 3 and 10. The donor center again will be located in the old Attleboro High School and former Brennan Middle School, 135 County St.

Fox said any businesses or organizations that would like to be matched to a large group of children can contact her at kelly@councilforchildren.org.

She said organizers currently have about 700 children on the lists looking for presents, up from about 450 at this point last year, an increase she sees as coming from the still-sluggish economy. Despite Sunday's slow start, Fox said she and other organizers think they'll see the drive pick up steam in the coming days and weeks.

"I would hope that we would," she said.

Please call the Donor Line at 508-226-0911 for a complete list of the children still available on the Wish List!

Giving an early start

ATTLEBORO - If you plan to take advantage of Black Friday shopping this year, the Greater Attleboro Council for Children is hoping you'll include a local child or two on your shopping list.

The council, which oversees the Christmas Is for Kids program, plans to start its 28th annual gift drive a week earlier this year to provide early shopping opportunities for donors.

The drive typically kicks off on the Sunday after Thanksgiving.

But this year the phone lines will be open this Sunday from noon to 2 p.m., and again Monday and Tuesday from 5 to 8 p.m. Call 508-226-0911.

After the early kickoff, the phone lines will follow the usual schedule, beginning the Sunday after Thanksgiving, the same day that The Sun Chronicle will publish the drive's wish list, which will include the ages of the boys and girls on the list and the gifts they are hoping to receive. "Even though the official list won't be in the paper for another week, we have children's information that can easily be matched up by the phone elves to donors," Fox said. "So we're asking folks to call us on Sunday afternoon, or Monday or Tuesday evening, and we'd be happy to match up donors.

Once the drive opens for the season on Nov. 27 - the lines will be open n

oon to 2 p.m. that day - volunteers will take calls

from 5 to 8 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, Nov. 28-Dec. 2 and Dec. 5-9, and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on two Saturdays, Dec. 3 and 10. The donor center again will be located in the old Attleboro High School and former Brennan Middle School, 135 County St.

With a few weeks still to go in the drive, Fox said there are already more than 500 children on the list, and based on past history, that's reason enough for an early start to the drive, she said.

"The last two years in particular, we've had so much come in the last two days of the drive - usually accounting for about half of everything we collected - that it seemed prudent to try to start earlier so that donors might also start and finish their shopping before the last weekend," she said. Fox said any businesses or organizations that would like to be matched to a large group of children can contact her at kelly@councilforchildren.org, and she will meet with them to match them to children.

"This has worked very well in years past with Sensata, the South Attleboro Lions Club and many local churches, all of whom take several children and shop for them," she said.

Please call the Donor Line at 508-226-0911 for a complete list of the children still available on the Wish List!

Janette Boulay can be reached at 508-406-1217 or by e-mail at janette.boulay@gmail.com.

Christmas drive begins with a roar

BY JUDEE COSENTINO FOR THE SUN CHRONICLE

NORTH ATTLEBORO - The revving engines of more than 160 Harley Davidson motorcycles could be heard from Pawtucket to the Elks Lodge in North Attleboro on Sunday afternoon where the Blackstone Valley Harley Owners Group hosted its 18th annual Christmas Is For Kids ride, kicking off the local gift drive.

Many of the riders, who started at Precision Harley Davidson on Armistice Boulevard in Pawtucket, brought a new, unwrapped toy or donated $10 at the door of the Elks Lodge.

Firman E. Locke, a Foxboro resident, has been director of the ride for the past four years. He said it makes him feel good to know that he and his friends can help needy children who can't always help themselves.

"There's a lot of children in Attleboro that need help," he said. "We try to do as much as we can for the community."

The ride has become a family tradition for HOG assistant director Dave Barton. His two sons were also riders, and Barton's older brother Mark, an Attleboro police officer, led the ride.

Prince, owned by Charles Beale of North Attleboro, is ready for the ride during Sunday's Blackstone Valley Harley Owners Group's kickoff of the Christmas Is For Kids campaign. (Staff photo by Mike George)

"We wouldn't miss this for anything," Barton said.

Rehoboth resident Russell Richmond came with his son and daughter-in-law and brought two toys, one for a boy and a girl.

"I enjoy it; it's a good thing," he said. "It's just nice to be able to give."

The 23-mile ride, which began at about 11:45 a.m., proceeded down Armistice Boulevard to Route 152 through the back roads of North Seekonk, Norton and into North Attleboro. The riders reached the Elks Lodge at almost 1 p.m, where a hearty Italian dinner was served.

Attleboro Area Council for Children director Kelly Fox was there to greet the riders and collect the toys, which came to about 14 bags full.

"This is a great start for us," she told the riders. "Your kickoff to our drive is something we look forward to."

For the bikers, and HOG treasurer Ed Blair, the sentiment was mutual.

"This is something we will do until none of us can ride anymore," he said.

The wish lists for approved applications received by the deadline will be published in The Sun Chronicle on Sunday, Nov. 29, the same day the council kicks off the drive.

The wish lists are noted by boy or girl and their ages only, without disclosing the names of the children, and donors are matched with the type of child or children for which they wish to purchase gifts.

Since the Council for Children does not have a permanent space of it own, it depends on the generosity of community supporters each year to provide a space for the drive.

This year, as announced previously by Council President Kelly Fox, the drop-off center for the drive will be at 135 County St., which many Attleboro area residents will recognize as the original Attleboro High School or the former Brennan Middle School.

To help support this year's drive, Fox notes two fundraisers that community supporters can contribute to. One is a toy drive that is being coordinated by Achin's Garage that will be at the Community School in North Attleboro on Dec. 5. The other is the annual hat and mitten drive at the Rockland Trust North Attleboro branch.

Janette Boulay can be reached at 508-222-0993 or by e-mail at janette.boulay@gmail.com.

Making a difference

North student collects pajamas for gift drive

But those needs will be met, thanks to North Attleboro Middle School student Julia Mark coordinating the Warm Pajama Drive, which collects new pajama sets and donates them to the Christmas Is For Kids program.

The local drive was held in conjunction with Saturday's observance of the nationwide Make A Difference Day, which is sponsored by the USA Weekend magazine, which is included weekly in the Saturday edition of The Sun Chronicle.

Julia Mark, 14, right, Liz Cooper, 14, and Allie Grinavic, 13, of North Attleboro, receive a donation of warm pajamas from Julie Savioli of North Attleboro Saturday during the Make A Difference Day drive held at the entrance to North Attleboro high and middle schools.

But around noontime, after 2 1/2 hours of brisk temperatures and flagging spirits, two people pulled over and donated three more pairs of pajamas.

"Even if people don't realize how much giving pajamas helps out, it's the little things that count," Grinavik said.

The day's total number of pajamas collected at other locations throughout the day came to 64 pairs, with $23 in monetary donations, Julia Mark said.

New, unused pajamas, as well as thermal tops and flannel pants, will be taken from now until Dec. 1.

Monetary donations can be dropped off or mailed to the Warm Pajama Fund, c/o Rockland Trust, 16 E. Washington Street, North Attleboro, MA, 02760.

Pajamas may also be dropped off during the week at St. Theresa's Church on Baltic Street in Attleboro; North Attleboro Middle School; St. Mark's Church in North Attleboro, or at the Rockland Trust Co.

Gift Drive to Start Earlier
Donor Lines will open three extra days next month

Attleboro - For the 28th year, the Greater Attleboro Council for children will do its part to see that every child in the area receives gifts on Christmas Day.

To help make that effort as successful as possible the year, the council plans to open its donor phone lines a week earlier.

"Every year we seem to get down to the wire with donors, and so we are hoping that by starting earlier, donors will be able to get their Christmas is For Kids shopping done earlier and that will take some of the pressure off of the elves as we get down to the wire," the council's Kelly Fox said.

Fox said the plan now is to kick off the phone lines on Sunday, November 20, from noon to 2 p.m. with the phone lines also open Monday and Tuesday, Nov. 21 and 22, from 5 to 8 p.m.

With the earlier kickoff, Fox says donors who would like to get matched earlier will have that opportunity as well as the opportunity to do Black Friday shopping.

After the early kickoff, the phone lines will then follow the usual schedule, beginning the Sunday after Thanksgiving when the Children's Wish list is published in the Sun Chronicle.

In addition, Fox says that the council is asking any companies and groups who are planning to do their own drives to support the Christmas is For Kids drive, by collecting blankets, mittens, gift wrap, toys or other items, to do so early as well - by Dec. 8 - to allow organizers time to do the proper matching of items to children's requests. The last day for all drop-offs is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 10.

"Historically, half of all donations show up the final weekend, and it has become very difficult to sort and pack all of the donations in such a short time and to do it as well as we want to do it, so we're trying to give ourselves some time," she said.

"I'm anticipating that we'll have some daytime shifts for the elves to do work and although the drop-off center won't be open to donors, it will give us time to get our arms around the inventory as it piles in and to manage it better.

The Council for Children is a volunteer run organization dedicated to providing year round programs and educational support to enrich the lives of children in need and the gift drive is just one of the services it provides. Applications are available at several sites within the area.

For those parents or social service organizations, who wish to have their children be recipients of the gift drive, applications are requested to be completed and returned to the Council for Children by November 13.

Applications will be available at 7 p.m. Oct. 18 during the parent class at Bristol Community College auditorium and will be dropped off at or emailed on Oct. 19 to local social service agencies as well as the YMCAs and libraries and also launched on the council's website www.councilforchildren.org.

by Janette Boulay
FOR THE SUN CHRONICLE