Category Archives: Local news

The Spirit of Giving (Standard Times Story 28 November, 2017)

  Local news

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Volunteer Jillian Zucco crowned Miss Massachusetts

  Local news, Youth Philanthropy

Standard Times Story HERE

GiftsToGive Volunteer Jillian Zucco is crowned Miss Massachusetts!

Jillian is truly a bright and shining light and for us a most perfect example of giving and service.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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First day of school

  Local news

 

Labor Day is Monday, September 5

• Acushnet, Aug. 30
• Alma del Mar, Aug. 22
• Apponequet, Sept. 6
• City on a Hill, Aug. 29
• Dartmouth, Sept. 1
• Fairhaven, Aug. 30
• Freetown/Lakeville, Sept. 6
• Global Learning, Aug. 29
• Old Rochester Regional, Aug. 30
• Marion, Aug. 30
• Mattapoisett, Aug. 30
• New Bedford, Aug. 31 (with exceptions)
• Rochester, Aug. 30
• Wareham, Aug. 29
• Westport, Sept. 6

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• Stories – Youth Philanthropy

  • Wareham’s Middle School Student Council set a most perfect example!

    

    Wareham Middle School Student Council

    We came away from our day today – inspired! Wareham Middle School Student Council Members redefined altruism for us. Talk about the power of one and then multiply that by a factor of forty!

    Photos from our day are here.

    Wendy Brogioli, Student Council Advisor for the Wareham Middle School wrote – “Thank you very much for allowing us to help at GiftsToGive today. It was amazing to see such a big place filled with so many things that will be given to families in need. We had a great time sorting all of those toys, clothes, and books. This is one of the best field trips we’ve been on – mostly because we were helping kids, but also because it was fun. We’ll be back!

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  • Birthday Boys: Brothers and Bright and Shining Lights!

    In walk four year-old Tobias and six year-old Galen, with dozens of brand new toys and books to donate. They told us a remarkable story, that their parents  had helped them celebrate their respective birthdays; Tobias with a swim party and Galen with a football party. They asked their friends to bring an unwrapped present for GiftsToGive to help local children who were not as fortunate and would not get a birthday present!

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  • Worcester Academy

    Students from Worcester Academy made a field trip to visit with us last week. Photos from their visit are here. We ordinarily would talk about the experience, but teacher David Baillie was kind enough to send us the following:

    “Community. We’re about community.”

    “This was the response of a student to a seemingly simple question: “What is Worcester Academy all about?” The question, posed by GiftsToGive founder Jim Stevens, hung over the fifty Worcester Academy students for several heartbeats before it was answered.

    We had traveled that Saturday morning from Worcester to Acushnet to fulfill a community service obligation, a school-mandated requirement that is part of every student’s experience. The fifty boys, all upper classmen, were dorm mates; they boarded the bus that morning without complaint, napped or talked or joked around for the hour it took to get to Acushnet, and then assembled in the bare-bones repurposed warehouse that served as the factory’s base of operations.

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  • Elementary Stars

    

    Parker students present GiftsToGive CEO Jim Stevens
    with a check for $382.96.

    With the support of Parker Elementary School Principal Paul Fay, teacher Tamara Wells-Reynold’s and her 4th grade After School Art Club raised $382.96, from raffle ticket sales of their art work.

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  • Old Rochester Regional Junior High – Artists For Change

    

    ORRJH Student Art Cards

    Over a two day period, students at Old Rochester Regional Junior High School in Mattapoisett, produced the first of our one-of-a-kind GiftsToGive Inspirational Cards.

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  • Student Intern SHOOTS FOR THE MOON!

    

    Student Intern, Molly

    * UPDATE
    

    Molly’s quest to collect 1,000 gently used sports balls has hit snag after snag, then last week something positive happened.

    The back story – Initially Molly went to the Bruins and asked for help in the form of a player coming to New Bedford and she and her hockey team would host a skating event. The Bruins could not send a player but did offer some of their surplus equipment – so that is working itself through. Then Molly went to the Celtics for help and they also could not send a player down to New Bedford. (You can see Molly’s letters to them below).

    The positive thing that happened last week came in the form of Boston University and FYSOP! Sixty-eight incoming BU freshmen spent two days at the mill helping us process clothes (we were at the critical process place of swapping out summer clothes for winter clothes and getting ready for back to school.) See that story here.

    Last week we received an email from Anthony Moccia asking to be connected to Molly. Who is Anthony Moccia you ask? Anthony is a senior at BU and was one of the chaperones for the the visiting BU freshmen. Here is Antony’s email –

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  • Galaxy and Olivia are truly bright and shining lights!

    

    Elementary Philanthropist, Galaxy!

    Today we met a most perfect grandmother, Jeanne Plourde and one of two young philanthropists; Galaxy.

    Galaxy told us that she and her cousin Olivia had two backpacks full of school supplies to donate, for two children that were not as lucky as she and her cousin!

    Talk about the power of giving!

    We asked grandmother Jeanne to send us a note about how this all happened and here is what she wrote –

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  • The Power of One (or two, in the case of twins!)

    

    Ella and Liam

    Ella is 7 years old and has a twin brother Liam.

    “I decided one day that I did not do enough for this country, especially children and wanted to help kids without clothes and do a clothing drive.” Believe or not.. her exact words!

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  • Bishop Stang High School Students Set A Most Perfect Example!

    What do Bishop Stang Students know that other students might not?

    On a very rainy and cold Saturday morning sixteen Bishop Stang High School Students chose to make a difference. Their gift of donations and time will help over 50 local children, many of them homeless and all of them living in poverty!

    Photos from our day are here.
    

    Student Hallie Manchester had this to say about their visit – ” I woke up on Saturday at 7:30 to drive to Stang, where a medium sized group of us would meet before spending the day at GiftsToGive in New Bedford. Unsure of what to expect, I went through my normal morning routine and got breakfast with two of my friends who would be with me all day. When the three of us got to Stang, we went into one of the administration offices where there was a large amount of donated objects from clothes to children’s toys. As we loaded the bags and boxes into our cars, we were feeling anxious and wondered what this place was going to be like. We all were groggy and tired yet excited to be having the opportunity to help others.

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  • Listening to Anastasia

    We met a remarkable group of faith-based, high school students this week. Photos from their visit are here. We asked junior, Anastasia to write about her experience. Here is what she had to say.

    By Anastasia  – “On November 4, 2015, fifteen eleventh-grade students from Cardinal Spellman High School, including myself, hopped in a bus and drove almost an hour to Acushnet for one of the most eye-opening experiences of our lives. As none of us had ever been to GiftsToGive or knew about everything it stands for, we quite frankly didn’t know what to expect for the trip. Despite this, though, the students and I were just as excited as ever to get to work and make a difference in the poverty surrounding our area.

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  • Meeting Liam, four year-old philanthropist!

    Philanthropy is a big word. It’s a big concept. For a child, it’s one of those ideas/concepts and values that takes perspective, experience and practice. Telling the truth, doing the right thing, not going with strangers, eating the right foods, washing your hands, respecting other people … but … giving away some of your toys, some of your treasure is a huge big deal! Very seldom do we meet a four year-old that had no problem with this, Liam brought us boxes full!

    In this crazy mixed up world we live in, to see a four year-old wanting to share his treasure – inspires us to do more and be better at doing it!

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  • Bishop Connolly Students Define Youth Philanthropy

    

    Matthew, Jonathan and Arthur

    When people talk to us about what is wrong with kids today; we smile and listen politely, then reply with a recent story about Matthew, Jonathan and Arthur.

    Read the local paper’s story here.

    Johnathan who is a sophomore at Bishop Connolly High School has been volunteering with us since he was in the 7th grade. Jonathan has set a record for helping Newport County Rhode Island families and is now recruiting fellow students to do the same.

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• News from GiftsToGive

  • Student Intern Receives Service Award

    15 year-old Intern and New Bedford High School Sophomore, Camron Frazier was honored Friday night at the Bay Sox final game by SouthCoast Serves  (a UMass Read More »

  • Freetown Lakeville Middle School – Friends Of Rachel Club

    Yesterday, we met a most remarkable group of students from the Freetown Lakeville Middle School, Friends Of Rachel Club. Rachel Scott was the first student killed Read More »

  • Our Magical Thrift Store!

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