Stay "In the Know" about the latest happenings at Shoes and Clothes for Kids. Read and share our newsletter to help share our mission to provide new outlooks for students in need. | |
WARM FEET, WARM HEARTS
Our year-end fundraising initiative, SOCKS IN THE CITY, reminds us of the incredible difference a simple gift can make. For children in poverty, something as simple as a new pair of socks can make a world of difference.
We kicked off this year's campaign with a 10-day Virtual Drive and set a goal to raise $10k in just 10 days! With the generosity of donors,
Our campaign is off to a great start, but we need your support to meet our $70k goal by December 31.
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Let's come together to spread warmth and hope this holiday season. | |
2024 Party on South Waterloo: An Evening to Remember |
SC4K hosted the first Party on South Waterloo, presented by The Irving & Gloria Fine Foundation on October 10, 2024.
Over 200 supporters gathered at our new home for a night of fundraising and friend-raising to celebrate SC4K's new home! Many thanks to the event sponsors, donors, vendors, planning committee, and volunteers who all collaborated to make this event one to remember.
During a brief program, SC4K recognized several special award winners. Dennis Rose and Hahn Loeser Parks LLP were honored with the 2024 Golden Shoe Award. Sibling-duo Amy Nadler and Randy Fine were honored with the Morrie Sayre Award for Outstanding Volunteerism.
Plans are underway for the 2nd annual Party on South Waterloo on Thursday, October 16, 2025!
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Highlighting our 2024 Inaugural Program Partners | |
Earlier this year, SC4K introduced new Program Partnership opportunities designed to offer benefits that positively align with a company's social responsibility profile. These new partnerships go beyond a typical sponsorship, resulting in meaningful partnerships while generating crucial funds to help our programs flourish.
We gratefully acknowledge the inaugural Program Sponsors below:
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For more information on 2025 Program Partnership opportunities, contact SC4K Senior Development Manager, Culeen Carey, at ccarey@SC4K.org. | |
Fall Distributions Provide Books, Winter Items, and more | |
As the weather turns colder, SC4K distributes items that help our teachers, partners, and families prep for winter. Highlights of our fall distributions included the annual Fall in Love with Reading Book Giveaway, the annual UPS Care Day, and the first-ever STEM-Themed Teacher Shop, sponsored by Lubrizol. | |
Fall in Love with Reading Book Giveaway
Our annual Book Giveaway, made possible with generous funding from The Stocker Foundation, focuses on getting new books to support educators as they teach reading curriculum on an individual and class basis. This year's giveaway included very diverse selections for readers of all ages. Special topics included Spanish language books, sensory books, cooking, holidays, and more! Seventy-seven teachers shopped and received an average of 150 books each.
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THE IMPACT: More than 10,650 students will receive new books through the September 23 event, and other fall distributions to partners and teachers. | |
UPS Care Day: October Deliveries
Since 2006, UPS has partnered with SC4K to host its unique UPS Care Day distributions. On Friday, October 18, volunteers from UPS, SC4K, and staff loaded UPS trucks with boxes full of winter items - coats, hats, and gloves - for each of our 21 Distribution Partner locations.
A big thank you to SC4K Board Member Candice Dempsey and her team at UPS and all of our volunteers for making this special delivery possible. And to the volunteer groups who helped us sort, count, and pack boxes of coats, hats, and gloves for distribution!
THE IMPACT: 2,140 kids will be warmer this winter because of the new coats, hats, and gloves they received from our 21 distribution partners.
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Lubrizol Sponsors First-Ever STEM-Themed Teacher-Shop
On Saturday, November 9, 84 teachers shopped for supplies and resources to help them focus on STEM projects. From rubber bands and craft sticks to STEM Kits and educational toys, teachers were so excited about the variety of learning tools available. Volunteers from Lubrizol were on hand to help teachers check out and restock the shelves. Lubrizol also thanked teachers with a special gift bag including their locally-made face serum!
Several teachers and CRC partner, Digital C, hosted demo tables to show fellow teachers what they can do to make STEM learning fun and engaging. We are looking forward to continuing this program with the help of generous program sponsors like Lubrizol.
| THE IMPACT: 2,500 students will benefit from new STEM Items in their classroom, including PBS and COSI STEM Curriculum Kits, cylinder sets, pattern and building blocks, educational science toys, and more. | |
Introducing our New Distribution Partners | |
After an extensive search, SC4K is adding three new distribution partners to our Legacy Program network: | |
East Cleveland Neighborhood Center is an education enrichment center that promotes emotional wellness and decreases non-academic barriers through our self-efficacy, compassion, and evidence-based strategies. They offer a variety of youth programming that aligns with the SC4K mission for children in East Cleveland, Cleveland, Cleveland Heights, University Heights, and Euclid.
OneHope NEO connects volunteers, organizations, and the community on a single platform to foster collaboration and provide hope for individuals in Cleveland’s Near West Side neighborhoods. They offer a variety of wraparound services to families in the Clark-Fulton neighborhood of Cleveland, Parma, Old Brooklyn, and other areas on the west side of Cleveland.
The Head Start program at Catholic Charities provides comprehensive services to families and children ages 3 to 5 to prepare children for kindergarten and beyond. Their Early Learning Centers offer preschool and parenting classes to families in Parma and Cleveland.
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Representatives from each new partner site attended our December Board meeting to meet the staff and board. We are looking forward to reaching more families through these new distribution partners! | |
DONOR SPOTLIGHT
Shoes and Clothes for Kids was honored to be selected as a Target Circle nonprofit. This innovative community-giving program relies on community votes from loyal customers to distribute contributions to local organizations.
Thank you to the Target shoppers who casted votes for SC4K between July 1 and September 30. Your support resulted in a donation of $4,500 for SC4K's core operations.
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Volunteers make our mission possible by sorting and counting donations, stocking shelves, packing orders, and staffing Partner and Teacher Shops. Ideal for students (ages 14+), groups, clubs, companies, or any individual interested in a meaningful volunteer experience.
Ready to unlock your passion for volunteering in 2025?
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Combine A Volunteer Day of Service with Your Off-Site Meeting |
Looking for a unique way to give back as a team and host an off-site staff meeting, retreat, or planning session? Combine a day of service at SC4K with a meeting or lunch in one of the CRC meeting spaces. SC4K can reserve a meeting room for up to 50 people at our new facility, so you can bring your team together for service and have a working session too.
Email us to check availability and schedule your event!
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BOARD AND ASSOCIATE BOARD SPOTLIGHT
We are excited to welcome five new members to our Board of Directors in 2025. This diverse group of local professionals brings talent, dedication, and passion to complement the skills of our existing board members.
Please join us in welcoming: Melissa Brown (AppFire), Charlotte Camp (US Department of Veteran Affairs), Monique Good (Cuyahoga County Public Library), Carl McGowan (The Federal Reserve Bank), and Sarah Paris (Swagelok).
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2025 New SC4K Board Members Pictured L to R: Carl McGowan, Charlotte Camp, Monique Good, Melissa Brown, Sarah Paris | |
We would also like to thank Lamont Dodson (Cleveland Metropolitan School District) and Joe Yonadi (Squire Patton Boogs US LLC), whose Board terms end in 2024, for their service to SC4K. | |
We also welcome Demetric Banks (Progressive) to the new position of Associate Board Co-Chair in 2025 to lead our Associate Board alongside Kate Kolthoff (Cuyahoga Community College).
The Associate Board will be celebrating its 20th Anniversary in 2025. Stay tuned for information on an Associate Board Reunion event in the spring!
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2025 Associate Board Co-Chairs
Demetric Banks and Kate Kolthoff
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