Teachers dress casual to assist Goodfellows
12/4/2007
Messenger-Inquirer
Teachers in Owensboro and Daviess County see how the Goodfellows Club benefits local children almost on a daily basis.
The Goodfellows Club works throughout the school year to provide children in need with new school clothes and shoes. Often, the club makes the difference between a child wearing new clothes or secondhand items to class.
Last year, Kelly Bland, family resource coordinator for East View Elementary School, came up with an innovative way to raise money for the club.
"We don't get to wear jeans very often, so I offered every Wednesday in October through December as dress down (day)," Bland said. "That's a real hot item. We raised double (compared to) last year."
This year, the teachers and staff raised $560. Instead of contributing $1 for every time they wore jeans to school, the teachers donated $10 each, which paid for their right to wear casual clothes each Wednesday.
Bland said it wasn't difficult to convince the teachers and staff to make donations.
"I told all of the faculty and staff ... how much Goodfellows have spent on our kids," Bland said. "In October, Goodfellows had spent more than $4,000 on my kids at East View.
"If it weren't for Goodfellows, a lot of our kids wouldn't even have new school clothes," Bland said. Because of the club, "some of our kids who don't get new clothes can now get new clothes and fit in with the rest of their class," she said.
For some children, a new shirt from the Goodfellows Club means quite a lot.
"You can tell when they're not used to getting new things," Bland said. A few years ago, the club bought new clothes for a student -- including a shirt emblazoned with the image of a popular cartoon character. The student was extremely proud of his new garment, Bland said.
"He wore it two or three times a week," Bland said. "He'd never had a character shirt. He finally had one, like the rest of his friends."
Bland said while the teachers and staff like wearing casual clothes, they mostly wanted to support the work of the Goodfellows Club.
"Our staff and faculty are very good at wanting to take care of our kids," she said. "$560 is a lot of money, but it's so little compared to what Goodfellows has spent on our kids. They're going to spend so much more on us than we'll be able to raise for them just by dressing down."
Bland said she hopes the community will continue supporting Goodfellows. "I'd encourage everyone to give to Goodfellows, because they give to the kids in our community," Bland said. " ... It gives a chance for our kids to wear something new, when all they have is hand-me-downs.
"They've never turned a kid away," Bland said.
Donations can be made to Goodfellows Club, Messenger-Inquirer, Box 1480, Owensboro, KY 42302; or by bringing contributions to the newspaper office at 1401 Frederica St.
Today's Roll Call
Previously reported... $23,381.05
Anonymous... $2,250
In memory of Pauline Ling, Bub
Ling, Marie Puckett, and Paul
Puckett... $1,000
East View Elementary faculty and
staff... $560
The Magruders... $100
In loving memory of Anna and
Herman Royal, Effie Hawkins,
and Lessie and Clarence Ford... $100
Ben Clark, Rachel Clark, and
Jordan Rhodes... $100
In memory of my beloved husband,
Randell Lowe by Ruth Lowe... $100
Anonymous... $100
In memory of Olivia and Lamar
Abel by Betty Young, Nancy Bumm,
and Pat Abel... $75
In memory of Cap Gardner by wife,
Gayle and son, Chris... $75
In memory of Lucille and J. Randall
Barger by Randalyn and Shane
M. Smith... $50
In memory of Charles and Thomas
Gwin by Bob and Martha Gwin... $50
Anna, David, Charles, and Ben
Haynes... $50
Sarah, Emily, and Ellie Haleman... $50
Ted and Sylvia Stinnett... $50
Thanks for the memories... $50
In memory of Jim Lovett by Bob
and Sylvia Lovett... $50
In memory of parents, Paul and
Leona Brewer, Darrell and
Margaret Sandefur, sister, Mary
Lou Settle, nephew, Mikie Settle,
Aunt, Pauline Rudy, and neighbors,
Marvin and Thelma Buckley by
Ralph and Peggy Brewer... $50
Edwin and Diane Stafford... $25
In memory of James B. White, Jr.
by Delight Wight... $25
Lloyd and Anne Mumford... $25
Total as of Dec. 4... $28,316.05
