MARLBOROUGH – A little holiday cheer. A bit of comfort during a hospital visit.
For hundreds of children in the Marlborough area, this is what’s found inside a Kits for Kids package. Beyond the toys and games and winter clothes, the kits represent the assurance that someone cares.
On Monday, Nov. 18, at the Apex Entertainment Center, dozens of volunteers and sponsors assembled 400 kits as part of the annual “Networking with a Purpose;” these kits will be distributed to agencies throughout the city.
“This is one of my favorite events the [Marlborough Regional Chamber of Commerce] puts on,” said Mayor J. Christian Dumais.
Karen Paquette is a volunteer with the chamber and parent of a former student at Orchard Hill Academy. For the occasion, she wore a Grinch shirt.
“My heart has grown by multiple sizes,” she explained as to why she wore that shirt. “The school saved my daughter’s and my family’s lives.”
Orchard Hill Academy, a program within the Assabet Valley Collaborative, is a therapeutic school for children ages 11 through 18 with learning challenges. The school provides customized programs, including art and music therapy classes.
The academy will receive kits, as will Marlborough Hospital and the Marlborough Food Cupboard.
“I use them every year,” said Barbara LaGrenade, director of the cupboard. She will receive 150 kits for clients; many will be handed out during the holiday season.
“It makes a huge difference in their lives,” said Ellen Carlucci of Marlborough Hospital. “We are truly grateful.”
She said the kits are handed to children waiting in the emergency room for treatment, either for themselves or for a family member.
Heather and Jay Johnston, who began Kits for Kids in 2006, thanked all those who sponsored or donated items for the event.
The mission of Kits for Kids is to provide comfort, aid and simple happiness to children and teens experiencing poverty, displacement and various other forms of instability.
Since its beginning, more than 25,000 kits have been distributed.
For information, visit https://www.kitsforkids.org/
