Big Event at the Wish Closet

Two classes from Walter Gretzky School did an amazing job collecting donations of gently used items as well as brand new gifts for the customers of the Wish Closet.  The donations filled two pick up trucks and were delivered to the Wish Closet on Monday December 3 where the students went to work sorting the donations.  

The kids were excited to see the inside of the Wish Closet after seeing it in apresentation last month. They all signed in, toured the donation room, the Cinderella Room and the Light A Smile room. It was so nice to know that the younger generation is aware of how to help others in our community.  

Several members from the Wish Closet Volunteer team were involved and they enjoyed telling the children all about their duties.

The 23 visitors to the Wish Closet that night they were very happy to see so many wonderful things available to them. It was a great event. 

Back in class, the students were asked to reflect on the event. Here are some responses from the grade 1/2 students when asked to complete the sentence, Yesterday at the wish closet I...."  

• ``I got to sort donations and got to go in the Wish Closet. It was fun!``
• ``I helped people``
• `I felt happy because all the families can get what they needed``
• ``I felt impressed of how many donations filled more than two pick up trucks!``

The grade ¾ students offered the following reflections:

Something I learned when we went to the Wish Closet is, it’s good to help people and donate things that  people don’t have and make someone happy.  And we learned to sort the things.     

At the wish closet I learned that if one person donates something it can make one whole family happy.

I felt happy to donate to people who need stuff and I felt compassion when I realized how much they needed it.     

I learned that the wish closet is a wonderful place because if you have no money you can go to the wish closet ONLY IF YOU NEED IT.  

 

We helped  people that needed help and we went to see the dungeon. (the holding room)    

At the wish closet I learned where the donation stuff goes and if some people don’t   have stuff they can go to the wish closet.  

Me and my class went to the wish closet. The people that work there are proud of us for helping them. There was about 50,000 toys and clothes! We also filled up two trucks!!   

What I liked about the wish closet was when I helped other families that don`t  have much.  Also it makes me feel empathy, when I help other families in need. So I hope I helped lots of families that have very little!!     

 

I learned that the Wish Closet is a wonderful place because……  they give to people that don’t have money and they give the clothes for free ONLY IF YOU NEED IT. Walter Gretzky Elementary School brought lots of stuff  that took 12 hours to sort. We brought in stuff like bikes, clothes, kitchen stuff like plastic like spoons, plastic plates, plastic forks. And if you want to know where the Wish Closet is it is at Major Ballachey School. THANK YOU  

The wish closet has 3 rooms .There is the Cinderella  room  which is for the stuff for proms and weddings, the dungeon where they clean stuff ,and the wish closet  for the toys books and clothes. I felt really good because I was helping people.  

 

 

ENJO Canada Pays It Forward!

ENJO Canada makes a difference, each and everyday, by helping people remove harmful chemicals from their homes by creating a safer and healthier environment for families.  Since partnering up with the Wish Closet a year ago, ENJO has made countless trips to the Wish Closet with Vanload’s full of donations with items for those less fortunate. 

 

Jennifer Dorsey began the process a year ago and is seen here at ENJO’s National Conference, handing over all of the donations from ENJO Consultants all over Canada to Audra Henderson, Wish Closet Volunteer. Items included Back Packs & back to school supplies, coats, boots, clothing, towels, blankets.

ENJO Canada's National Conference was held in September in Niagara-On-The-Lake. This is a weekend that ENJO consultants all over Canada unite, to celebrate the amazing changes we have made in households and business' all over Canada, by helping them to go Chemical free using ENJO. 

 

“We had the privilege to have Audra Henderson from The Wish Closet join us this year.  Audra shared with ENJO Consultants just how big of an impact our donations have made to the people who are utilizing this amazing program, and what a difference the Wish Closet has made for so many families in our community. We surprised Audra with donations from all the consultants who attended this years Conference. ENJO Canada’s Founder & Owner, Trish Ronan, Topped off the Donation with a $1000 Cheque!” Explained Jennifer.

Jennifer’s home in Burford, Ontario, is a designated drop off location for ongoing donations to The Wish Closet. Your donations drastically help others who are facing adversity in their lives.  If are in or around the Burford area and would like to make a donation, please contact Jennifer Dorsey jdorsey@enjo-canada.com. 

If you are in or around the Brantford area, donations can be made directly to The Wish Closet, which is housed at Major Ballachey School. Please contact the school to arrange a drop off time.

A Special Night for a Special Group

Monday was a special night fr the Wish Closet. The Teen Parenting Program came for their semi-annual visit. Their trip in the fall allows the young parents to get fall and winter clothing for their young children and babes.

Because the young parents spend all of their energies providing for the needs of their children, they seldom take the time to shop  for themselves. So we always like  to provide them with special gifts and raffle prizes. These added extras are always a big hit and very much appreciated by the young parents who get to feel special and appreciated when the visit the Wish Closet.

 

 

Thank you, Teen Parents. We can't wait to see you all again in the spring!

A Season of Celebration

The end of June is always a time for celebration in schools. And Major B is no exception. There are class parties, school trips and graduation ceremonies. And for the Wish Closet volunteers, there is the appreciation night. Betty provides pizza, certificates, gifts of appreciation and accolades galore. This dedicated group of volunteers work tirelessly through the year, and this is just one way for the Wish Closet creator to give back.
The first round of recognition and thanks were for the staff who work hard to support this the Wish Closet and all that this program has to offer to the community.

Mr McKinnell

Mrs Comeau

The Mayor of Major B

Ms Kirk

And then it was time for the long service volunteeers:

 Audra, our Dungeon Master keeps the myriads of donations flowing from the sorting room to the Wish Closet racks. Her organizational skills keep things moving.

Heather assists with the workload in the Dungeon (our pet name for the sorting room) whenever Audra, her daughter, needs a hand.

And we could never forget the "shift" volunteers: Monday Night Shift, Wednesday Morning Shift, Wednesday Night Shift and Thursday Morning Shift. These are the volunteers who work week after week to fulfill wishes, help people make a fresh start in their lives, prepare for new babies, dress up new grads and help in whatever way they can to keep the Wish Closet clean, organized and running smoothly.

Thank you everyone for another very successful year.  As a team, we have made a difference in the lives of over 2500 people this year. Enjoy your summer and we will see you again in September.

Thank You Wish Assistants

At the Wish Closet, we are so fortunate to receive a LOT of donations from the community. It's how we keep our stock fresh for those in need. But what most people don't know is just how those bags and boxes make their way from the drop off point across from the library down to the "dungeon" or sorting room downstairs. Enter the Wish Assistants. This class spend their year helping Betty. They haul, lug and slug from September to June.

While this chore might seem like some of Betty's punishment for poor attendance, this special group of students rarely complain because they know that Betty and the Wish Closet volunteers are depending on them to get the job done.

And to let them know just how much they are appreciated, a special pizza party is organized near the end of the school year when the donations are done for the season. This year was no exception.

BIG LOTS! CANADA HAS A BIG HEART

On July 18th, 2011, Big Lots! Canada purchased the Liquidation World Stores. Big Lots! Canada believes in supporting their community in a way that makes a difference for others. Corporate Headquarters on Henry Street has been looking for ways to contribute to the Brant community. Lauren Kirby, a former teacher from Princess Elizabeth School was talking to her friend Shelley Leck, an Assistant Buyer, about Light A Smile and the Wish Closet. This led to Executive Assistant Diane Nemes meeting with Betty Finley, the Creator of the Wish Closet, which is housed at Major Ballachey School. Diane came to visit the Wish Closet and felt that this was just the type of partnership that Big Lots! Canada was looking for in the Brant community. As such, the Wish Closet now has a wonderful, supportive new partner in Big Lots! Canada.

On Thursday June 14th, several Wish Closet volunteers arrived at Big Lots! Canada to pick up donations of toys, clothing, linens, household and personal hygiene items. This generous donation allowed the Wish Closet to gather many items for a family who were victims of a very recent and devastating fire. It also helped the Wish Closet to fill the  needs of many others in our community.

Thank you, Big Lots! Canada for your generosity, for your partnership and for your desire to Pay It Forward in our community.

  

Pictured from left to right are Audra Henderson, Wish Closet Volunteer, Kaitlyn Dowden, PJ Co-op student, Aileen Cranford, PJ Co-op Student, Betty Finley, Wish Closet Creator and Diane Nemes, Executive Assistant at Big Lots! Canada

It's Our First Blogiversary

In the blogging world, the anniversary of the start (birth) of a blog is known as the "blogiversary" One year ago today, May 30, 2011, the Wish Closet Blog was started. Since then, there have been 20 posts and we have had 695 visitors view the blog!

While most of the visitors are from Brantford, we have also had visitors from Kitchener, London, Fenelon Falls, Toronto, Port Dover, Burlington, Waterloo, Ancaster, Barrie, Guelph, Caledon, Hamilton, Markham, Kenora, Orangeville, Cambridge and Strathroy.

The most popular pages have been the Teen Parenting posts, the Cool to Be Kind post, Logan's Leadership post, Giving Back post and the Cooking Class posts. These round out the top 5. Ultimately THE most popular page for people to land on is the homepage with whatever the most current post is, these other five have been re-visited.

Here's to the next year, with more posts and more people becoming aware of the vital role each of you play in providing this much needed service in our community. Well done, Wish Team!!

Major B is a Hub of Activity

Major B was a busy active place on Monday night. The last Monday of each month is Cooking Class.

The Cooking Classes are run in partnership with Grand River Health, Community Food Advisors. These volunteers are on hand each month to teach kids and adults alike how to prepare healthy snacks with seasonal foods. This month's seasonal food was rhubarb and the recipe was rhubarb crisp.

The other item on the menu was meatballs. The kids LOVED digging in the raw meat, pinching and rolling, first to blend the ingredients and then to form the meatballs.

The Cooking Classes take place in the Community Room. Happening across the hall at the same time is the Wish Closet. This pairing is ideal in that it allows families to access two important services at the same time.

This Monday was no ordinary Monday for the Wish Closet. It was the bi-annual visit by the Teen Parenting Program. This program offers shopping nights to the teen parenting group and is co-ordinated to fall after the bi-annual garage sales of the Multiples N More group. This allows the teens to get great quality items that would otherwise be too expensive for them to purchase for their babes on their limited income.

On Monday night the Wish Closet hosted 12 teen moms and 5 young dads who were able to shop for their children while their children were safe and supervised in the Best Start room down the hall. In addition to the items the parents shopped for, each mom was given a special gift bag full of products that would otherwise be out of their budget.

And of course, there were the usual raffle prizes available as well.

The sense of community is alive and well at Major B. As is often the case, Major B was a hub of activity.