WESTFIELD – Members of the Westfield Centennial Lions Club dropped off bags and boxes of professional clothing, including suits, shirts, and shoes for students to the Community Closet in Westfield High School on Monday morning. Club president Kyle Pierce of People’s Bank was joined in dropping off donations by Roxanne Bradley of the police department and Pat Breton of the fire department, all of which were collection sites for the drive, along with Brian Brown, Maegan Webb and Colin Pierce, the youngest volunteer in the club.
Westfield Centennial Lions Club members Roxanne Bradley, Pat Breton, Kyle Pierce, Brian Brown, Maegan Webb with Colin Pierce with some of the professional clothing donations (lower left) in the Community Closet at WHS. (Photo by Amy Porter)
Two trips with a dolly were needed to bring all of the donations into the school with the help of a school custodian. All of the volunteers were pleasantly surprised to see how beautifully the Community Closet was set up, looking like a chic boutique. Prom dresses which had been donated by teachers and staff were hanging in the window and displayed at the end of racks. Personal care items were in a glass case, and shoes were neatly arranged on shoe racks.
“It’s been a bright spot. It’s open to all of our kids throughout the day,” said family consumer science teacher Margaret Toomey, who calls herself the gatekeeper to the faculty and student-run center. She said it started with a drive among faculty and staff for clothing for students who might need some help. Now, she said, students know where to look if they come in wet from walking to school in the rain, for sports attire, or for anything else they might need.
Toomey said that several teachers are involved in going through the donations with students. A group of students also folds them up and puts them on display. Toomey said she was overwhelmed by the amount of donations from the Lions Club, and she and her crew will hang them out and put them up today.
Toomey said that she participated in a meeting with Superintendent Stefan Czaporowski on Monday about an upcoming Career Day at Westfield State University on Friday, June 16, and the clothes will come in handy as the students dress up to speak with prospective employers.
She also said any donations that are not age-appropriate are dropped off at the Salvation Army or Good Will, to which they’ve been making one or two trips a week. “Nothing goes to waste,” Toomey said.
“I’m overwhelmed by the support of the Westfield Lions Club and the community and am appreciative of their efforts to help the students of Westfield High School. This type of collaboration is one of the many reasons that I love working in this community,” said Westfield High School Principal Charles Jendrysik.
