Kutz 4 Kidz was held on Sunday, August 12, 2012 and was a HUGE success! I had worked a part of the Dream BIG team to coordinate this massive event. Let me tell you all about it!
You may have already read about my shopping trip to pick up supplies for Kutz 4 Kidz (see my entire shopping trip via the Google+ album). All of the supplies that had been donated were gathered and placed in backpacks that had been donated. Luckily there were many individuals that understood our need and were able to help out with supplies. The Dream BIG team has made many personal connections throughout the community and it was those connections that helped to make these donations work for the children in need.
These are some of the volunteers the day before Kutz 4 Kidz organizing supplies and filling the backpacks. Yep, we even put the kids to work! They can learn early on how rewarding it is to help in the community!
500 backpacks were filled in one day. Pencils, pens, crayons, markers, erasers, Elmer’s glue, spirals, folders and scissors were placed in the packs. Some of the backpacks were also able to get bottles of Pantene thanks to our friends at P&G!
The team stayed at the APD Police Academy until after midnight (starting at 9am) to get everything set up! That is Deputy Chief of Police, Allen Banks along with Dream BIG team members Luis Hernandez and Trish Aragon showing their dedication to the community…..a 15 hour day is a lot of work! The floor was covered to help protect it from the over abundance of hair that would be falling the following day.
Kutz 4 Kidz was planned to begin at 9am. The line was already forming at 6:50am when I arrived! I knew it had to be very important for these kids to get their hair cut and the school supplies for the parents to bring them that early and wait. It really touched my heart.
Some of the same volunteers that were at the Academy until late the night before (or early that morning, depending on how you look at it) were there bright and early to get things rolling! It was great to see the Albuquerque Police Department helping out, carrying tables and doing so much to help the community. You always see the negative in the community and the police department does get looked at a problem so many of the times. So many people don’t see all the good they do for the community and how much they help. Having them team up for this event really showed what big hearts they have and how much they want to help children. It was nice to see the children interacting with the police officers throughout the day. Hopefully they will see that the police are there to help them succeed and want them to do well.
When registration opened up, the line just flooded in! Luckily there were a lot of volunteers to help us out!
When the kids went through the line, they were first screened for lice (just to be on the safe side) and then signed a waiver to get their hair cuts.
After they received their wrist band, they went inside to get a hair cut and then back pack with supplies. When they were done there, they had the ability to go outside and get a hamburger, hot dog or slice of Little Ceasar’s pizza. The adults or other siblings that were with them were able to get a meal after making a donation.
We had some fun guests walking around meeting the kids. McGruff was so fun when I was a kid! I loved when he’d come visit my school! And Darth Vader…who doesn’t want a pic with Darth Vader!?!?!
Here I am with another Dream BIG team member, Rachael Hernandez along side the Chief of Police, Ray Shultze. It was great seeing him come out to help support this cause!
In the end, this is what it is all about. The kids walking away, ready for their first day of school with a fresh hair cut and a backpack with supplies! By picking up a few extra supplies when you buy your kids their school supplies, you can donate them to a place like Kutz 4 Kidz and help out some children that may not have what they need to start school. With everyone banning together, you can make a HUGE difference! Look at what a team of six people were able to pull off! In total 1000 hair cuts and just over 500 backpacks were given out! You can Bag It Forward, by picking up an extra bag with supplies and make a huge impact on a child’s life and self-esteem. I would hate for my kids to start without the proper supplies. That not only sets them up for failure, but has to effect their self-esteem if all of their classmates have the supplies needed.
Even if you aren’t able to monetarily help a child, you can still donate your time to an event like this! We were able to pull together over 100 people (in addition to the barbers and Police) to help us make sure Kutz 4 Kidz ran a smoothly as possible!
More Information:
- Champions for Kids: http://championsforkids.org
- Champions for Kids Twitter Handle: https://twitter.com/#!/champions4kids
- Champions for Kids Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ChampionsForKids
- Elmer’s™ Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/Elmers
- Elmer’s™ Twitter handle: @Elmershttp://twitter.com/#!/elmers
Disclosure: I am a member of the Collective Bias Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and Champions for Kids #CBias #SocialFabric All photos and opinions are my own.
About Amber
How super AWESOME is this???? How fantastic!! It’s going to help so many kids!!!
Thank you Kristin! I feel so incredibly blessed to have been able to be a part of this event! Next year I wouldn’t miss it for anything…I’m overly excited!
Awesome cause! I love to see people coming together to help.
Thanks Sadie! It was just an amazing feeling helping so many people!
Can’t wait for next year!
You all did an amazing job! So great to see people give back to their community… and you did in such a big way!
Thanks Staci! It was an amazing feeling! A LOT of work, but so worth it!
That’s wonderful to see so many people coming together to help others!
That is so awesome! I love reading about people helping others, especially kids. Thanks for sharing your story!
Wow, what an amazing accomplishment you’ve been able to put into action!
What a fantastic way to get kids ready for school. You must feel amazing about what you’ve accomplished.
Awesome cause! Love how everyone’s chipping in.
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