16 October 2009

JLL Volunteers Give Colville Kids a Fresh Start with a Smile!

On 6 October the Learning Club donated 280 “Back to School Kits” to the students at Colville Primary School. Often, new school supplies are an advantage that children take for granted.  Unfortunately, many families at Colville do not have the financial resources needed to send their children to school with the supplies they need.  One Colville teacher explained that homework sometimes comes back incomplete because children do not have all the necessary supplies at home to do the work.

The school kits were delivered at a morning meeting and all of the children were incredibly excited to receive them.  Presented in brightly coloured nylon bags, each kit contained supplies ranging from pencils to glue sticks. Along with school supplies, the students also each received a reading log for home. The reading journals are part of a larger literacy push to encourage children to read at home.
The members of Learning Club received lots of hugs and many “thank yous” from both students and teachers alike.

Commenting on the project, JLL Community Vice President Chris Mohrmann stated, “It is the efforts of our members that brought so many smiles to the faces of these school children. These essential school supplies will enable them to not only do their homework today, but also for tomorrow. It’s part of our continued commitment to making learning, especially reading, a fundamental element of these children’s lives to break the cycle of poverty.”

About the Junior League of London

The Junior League of London is a UK registered charity comprised of women committed to promoting voluntary service, developing the potential of women, and improving communities through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. A member of the Association of Junior Leagues International and active in London since 1978, the JLL has over 400 volunteer members who provide more than 20,000 hours of service to the community each year through dedicated programmes that break the cycle of poverty through education and employment. The JLL raises funds through our annual Christmas fair Boutique de Noel (12-13 November 2009), a book for recent arrivals to the capital called Living in London, a week-long shopping event in the Spring (4-28 March 2010) called London Spree, corporate giving, grants, donations, annual fund and members’ dues.
To learn more about the Junior League and its community projects, to buy tickets to Boutique de Noel in 2009 or a 2010 London Spree Card, to purchase a copy of Living in London, or to find out about the JLL’s next New Members’ Course for volunteers – visit www.jll.org.uk or phone the Junior League office on 020 7499 8159.

Registered Charity Number: 1103298   Registered as a Company Limited by Guarantee in England No 5045667