Skirts and Shirts and Socks, oh my!  Pens and  Pencils and Paper galore, will help children succeed in school even more!  

The wonderful world of academia began with a festival atmosphere for 93 students from Mead Elementary School in Ansonia on August 21st.  Members of the Valley United Way’s Corporate Volunteer Council culminated a summer of hard work combing the malls and bookstores to make sure that children in the school have the tools they need to succeed in the new academic year.  Although tough economic times have challenged corporations with cutbacks and layoffs, corporate members have gone the extra mile to make sure that children at Mead School are given a fresh start this year.  

Twenty five companies in the Valley have adopted a child for this year’s Back to School Clothes for Kids Drive.  Sharon DeDonato of General Electric worked with her colleagues to sponsor a raffle at the Scinto Towers which raised $2,700 for kids.  In addition, over 15 local retail shops donated raffle prizes that ranged from free dinners, an overnight stay at a local hotel and a 5,000 BTU air conditioner.  Other companies include Market Data Retrieval, MetLife Financial Services, Pitney Bowes, Wachovia, The Hartford, New Wave Technologies, OCI, Iroquois Gas Transmission, Fleet Bank, Transcentive, CAPS, American Skandia, Staybridge Suites, Professional Travel Planners, Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce, Rifkin Travel, Fred Ortoli, TeleMedia, Microsol, Dave Grant Caterer, Fletcher Thompson, NetImage, Phone Charge, New Castle Hotels, Derby Cellular, and Carter’s.

A festive party was held for the children on August 21, 2003 with CVC members on hand to distribute their packages and lend encouragement for a successful year.  Dave Grant Caterers provided cookies and juice and BIC Corporation donated pencils for each child. 

At the end of the day, GE left behind a large supply of materials to be used by the school throughout the year to meet the needs of needy students. Some of the materials are pictured above.