The Waukesha Education Foundation, Inc. was able to donate 90 pairs of waterproof winter gloves to youth in our community through a unique partnership with the Christmas Clearing Council of Waukesha this past December.
"We knew we wanted to make a bigger impact this year, and we knew we wanted to make the "Strong Communities" portion of our mission come to life, " said Lynnette Kalmadge, WEF Executive Director. "There are so many children in our community who need a little extra help and while we knew we could donate directly to schools in our District, we knew we couldn't do this equitably. So, we started the search for another local non-profit that had a specific need and that also served kids in our community, and that was already set up to reach those who had the most need."
The WEF was connected to Sarah Hein, the Executive Director of the Christmas Clearing Council (CCC) and, through a CCC board member, learned that a huge need at their annual Toy Shop was winter gloves for kids. The community typically donates toys and other items for this event, but often, they run short of gloves. Without gloves, area kids are unable to play outside during the cold winter months. A marketing plan was quickly created and the WEF gave donors the option to participate during their annual Elegant Farmer sale and year end appeal. The idea was simple, encourage donations to the Waukesha Education Foundation and that same donation would allow the WEF to purchase gloves to donate back to the Christmas Clearing Council. And thus, the "Share the gLOVEs" campaign was born.
"We told our donors it was a great opportunity to make their (holiday) list and 'check it twice," said Kalmadge. "For every $50 that was donated to WEF, the WEF donated a pair of gloves."
Because of the generosity of WEF donors, the WEF was able to drop off 90 pairs of gloves to be used at the annual Toy Shop, a free shopping experience that served over 1300 children and their families. In addition to WEF donors, Blain's Farm & Fleet donated gloves by way of a gift card donation and the Waukesha Noon Kiwanis Club donated another $250 worth of gloves.
"We believe the Strong Schools = Strong Businesses = Strong Communities. We were very proud to be part of this strong community during the holiday season and extend a special thanks to both Blain's Farm & Fleet and the Kiwanis Club, as well to all of our generous donors." Kalmadge added.