Westfield’s Project 351 Ambassador Jillian Battles at the clothing donation box in Westfield Middle School. (PHOTO SUBMITTED)
WESTFIELD – Westfield eighth grader Jillian Battles is the Project 351 ambassador for Westfield, and as her Spring Service project she is leading a clothing drive for Cradles to Crayons Massachusetts, an organization that helps to provide essentials for children in poverty throughout Massachusetts.
Battles has set up collection boxes at Westfield Middle School and Westfield Intermediate School for new, “like new,” or gently used clothing with no rips or stains for newborn to youth large — size 10/12. There are also collection boxes at Munger Hill, Southampton Road, Papermill and Franklin Avenue elementary schools, and at the YMCA of Greater Westfield. The drive will run through May 21.
Pajamas, socks and underwear must be new, and donations are welcome. Battles has also gone to the manager of TJ Maxx in Westfield with a request for donations, which is being considered.
Business clothing, messages with inappropriate content, or clothing that refers to religion, family relationships or specific activities is not accepted by Cradles to Crayons, which will take team items from only New England sports teams.
Battles and her leadership team, all members of her YMCA swim team, will have to go through all of the clothing before the regional donation drop off. “We have to do a quality sort to make sure clothes are gently used, no rips, tears, stains,” she said. Any clothing in good condition that is left over will be donated to the Westfield schools clothing closets.
Battles has also arranged a competition between Westfield Middle School and Westfield Intermediate School. Whichever school collects the most amount of clothing, “the winning principal and vice principals get to dump slime on the principal and vice principals who collect the least,” a challenge the administrators graciously accepted. Battles and the swim team will be making the slime.
Project 351 is an independent nonprofit organization started by former Gov. Deval Patrick and continued by Gov. Charles Baker that builds a movement of youth-led service by engaging an unsung hero from each of Massachusetts’ 351 cities and towns. Ambassadors are invited to “unite, act, and lead” for 12 months of inspirational service, empowering leadership training, and teamwork with a statewide network of friends.
Battles was selected by Principal Jessica Kennedy from among the nominees from teachers and administrators to be Westfield’s Project 351 ambassador this year. She is also in her second year in Generation Leadership, WMS’s student leadership initiative, and was in the National Junior Honor Society last year, although it was cancelled this year.
Also cancelled was the kickoff for Project 351 at Faneuil Hall in the fall. Battles has not let that deter her from her year of service, in which she has partnered with last year’s Project 351 ambassador and now alumni Wunnyuriti Ziblim, and she is excited about this year’s events.
Battles’ passion is helping people. She plans to attend Westfield High School next year and take as many medical classes as possible, towards her ultimate goal of attending Harvard Medical School to become a family physician, with a specialty in pediatrics.
Community service is also not new to Battles. A member of the YMCA since she was little, she has been on the swim team for seven years, has volunteered as an assistant coach, and pre-COVID, helped out with swim lessons. “We’re like a giant family,” she said.
Next month, for another Project 351 service project, Battles is coordinating a Help and Gratitude Walk of 3.51 miles to raise money for the YMCA. She and her mother Jen Battles, who is her biggest supporter, plan to get their friends and family involved to walk, run or swim.
Recently, Jillian Battles was also awarded a Prudential Volunteer Service Award for the more than 400 volunteer hours she has already given to the community.
Battles said she has not set a goal for the Cradles to Crayons clothing drive. “I just want as much as possible to help as many kids as possible. Whatever we get in, I feel will make a huge difference,” she said.
