Churches Team Up to "Clothe A Child"
Texas churches and corporations find a creative way to help their community.
Andy Williams
July 1, 2005
It's 6:00 a.m. on a Saturday morning in the fall, and families begin lining up in front of Kohl's department store. Each receives a $100 voucher toward any children's clothing in the store. Each family is paired with a volunteer who assists them in shopping and interacts with them throughout the event. This annual outreach in three North Texas towns provides underprivileged children with new school clothes, offers suburban families a meaningful way to engage one-on-one with high-risk families, and brings together local churches and corporations. Clothe A Child was started in 1989 by Dr. Lawrence Kennedy of the North Church in Carrolton, Texas, after remembering people from his childhood helping his family with new clothes. He wanted his church to return the good deed. After hearing about Clothe A Child in 1999, Matt Schonhoff introduced the idea to the leadership team at his church in McKinney, Texas. The program has grown to include several McKinney churches, plus local and national businesses. How does it work? During the summer churches are recruited, volunteers are gathered, and local businesses—such as Starbucks, Krispy Kreme, and Kohl's—are enlisted. Applications are distributed, through public school counselors, to high-risk families, and the counselors then select those who will receive invitations to Clothe A Child. Kohl's transfers clearance merchandise, and even does some special purchasing, to provide ample clothing to the participating store. On the day of the event, volunteers—including Kohl's employees who help for no pay—arrive at 5:30 a.m. to set up. In 2002, Schonhoff and others started a separate non-profit organization to oversee Clothe A Child (www.clotheachild.org), which expanded in 2003 ...
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