Love to love you, baby
You don’t have to be a character in a Tennessee Williams
play to rely on the kindness of strangers. At some point in our lives, we all
need a little help.
Baby Love is a new project of the Greater Rochester Junior
Chamber of Commerce (Jaycees) that provides Rochester-area families in need
with donated clothing, bedding, and equipment for infants and children up to 4
years old.
Founder Caroline Elliott says, “Baby Love gives children the
essentials they need to get off to a great start in life. Homelessness, poverty
and unplanned family transitions can have a devastating impact on children
during their formative years. Baby Love asks Rochester families to help each other to
insure a positive future for our city.”
Sure, you can have a garage sale and spend a weekend
confined to a broiling hot, airless hell hole in an effort to recoup a fraction
of the cost of your kid’s gear. But where’s the satisfaction in that?
Feel good about yourself and set a good example for your
kids by donating gently used or new items in excellent condition, purchased
within the last three years. Cribs must be disassembled. Financial gifts are
welcome, too.
Baby Love is also interested in building community
partnerships. “We’re looking for corporate sponsors and reaching out to moms’
groups for donations. We’d be happy to hear from organizations interested in
receiving donations, as well,” says Elliott, noting that many of the donations
received to date have been given to families served by Alternatives for
Battered Women.
To drop off a donation, have items picked up, or for more
info, contact Caroline Elliott by phone at 234-0261 or by email at
babyloveorg@yahoo.com.
This article appears in Aug 9-15, 2006.
