1. society

November/
December 2014
The Christ Child Society
Naples, Florida
Habitat’s Lisa Lefkow at November meeting
A
t the first General Meeting of the
season to be held at the Northern
Trust Bank on Nov. 12 at 3 pm, the
Rev. Lisa Lefkow, Executive VicePresident of Habitat for Humanity for
Collier County, will be the featured speaker.
Lefkow began volunteering with Habitat for
Humanity in the early 80s, and joined the
staff of the Collier County branch in 1999. She
finds great joy in working with volunteers
to help provide the most basic of all human
needs: safe, affordable shelter for families
in critical need. In addition to her position
at Habitat for Humanity, Lisa also serves
Cornerstone United Methodist Church.
Habitat for Humanity of Collier County is
to one of the oldest and largest-producing
affiliates in the United States. More than
1,650 homes have been built in the past 36
“
Through Habitat for Humanity,
the generational cycle of
poverty is broken through the
work of dedicated volunteers
and homeowners who put in
hundreds of hours building
their own home and working
on the homes of other
deserving, hard-working
families.”
– The Rev. Lisa Lefkow
VP of Development
years, with about half being in Immokalee
and half in Naples. In the past three years,
nearly 200 homes have been purchased out
of foreclosure and rehabbed by the Collier
affiliate. With 62% of Collier’s public school
children qualifying for free and reduced
lunch (families earning less than 60% AMI),
the need for simple, decent affordable shelter
is tremendous.
Christ Child Society of Naples purchases a
twin bed mattress at cost from City Mattress
and bedding for each child in a Habitat home.
We have provided bookcases (with the Notre
Dame Club) and furnished books for these
first time homeowners.
Through our Special Projects initiative, we
have also built playgrounds in Habitat for
Humanity communities.
Don’ forget to
pay your dues
Membership dues are $75
for the period from
July 1, 2014 to June 30,
2015. If you have not
already mailed your check,
please send to:
PO Box 770179
Naples, FL 34107-0179.
CHRIST
CHILD
SOCIETY
NAPLES
Website
www.christchildnaples.org
Email
info@christchildnaples.org
The Rev. Lisa Lefkow,
Executive Vice-President
of Habitat for Humanity
for Collier County, will
be the featured speaker
at the November 12
General Meeting.
2014-2015 Committees
Board of
Directors
Catherine Boltz
President
Terry Schrantz
Past President
Sharon Ochs
Secretary
Sandra Welker
VP & Treasurer
Stephanie Lohri
Becky Delahanty
Co-Finance Directors
Maureen Kincaid
Deena Bupp
Co-Membership VPs
MaryAngela Smith
Communications VP
Sharon Prentice
Infant Care VP
Jane Austermiller
Kathy Doehner
Co-Basic Needs VPs
Mary Polizzotto
Literacy VP
Martha Moore
Penny Parmelee
Patty Schimpf
Members at Large
Stephanie Munz Campbell
Spiritual Advisor
Page 2 / Childhood Matters / November/December 2014
Childhood Matters
is published by the Christ Child
Society, Naples, Florida.
PO Box 770179
Naples, FL 34107-0179
christchildnaples.org
CHRIST CHILD SOCIETY OF
NAPLES IS A 501(c)(3) TAX EXEMPT
ORGANIZATION. OUR FEDERAL
TAX IDENTIFICATION NUMBER
IS 59-3490810. OUR FLORIDA
REGISTRATION NUMBER IS
CH12255. A COPY OF OUR OFFICIAL
REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL
INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED
FROM THE FLORIDA DIVISION OF
CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING
TOLL-FREE 1-800-435-7352.
REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY
ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR
RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE.
Committee Chairs
Infant Care . ................................................ Sharon Prentice
Layettes.......................................................... Pat Limbach & Sharon Prentice
Bringing Baby Home................................. Dottie Gerrity
WHF/Grieving Gowns............................... Catherine Boltz
Basic Needs ................................................ Jane Austermiller & Kathy Doehner
Habitat for Humanity................................ Shirley Booth
My Stuff Bags............................................... Kathryn Wagner
Kids Kare........................................................ Jane Austermiller
Ronald McDonald Care Mobile............. Kathy Doehner
Literacy/ELLM ........................................... Mary Polizzotto
ELLM Reading Readiness......................... Mary Polizzotto
Golden Gate................................................. Patty Schimpf
Fun Time Academy ................................... Sue Manion
Special Activities
New Member Tea........................................ Terry Schrantz
Tributes and Memorials........................... Mary Ellen Decker
Mother’s Day Cards.................................... Bea Moore
Red Wagon Appeal.................................... Sandy Anzilotti
Sunshine Coordinator............................... Karen Shaw
Christmas Party........................................... Becky Kwedar
Founders Luncheon.................................. Carol Panek & Kathy Pezzuti
Red Wagon Gala.......................................... Penny Parmalee
Special Projects .......................................... Kathleen Flynn Fox & Sue Manion
Hospitality Committee............................. Jean Larrabee & Nancy Hoey
Program Chair.............................................. MaryAngela Smith
Volunteer Hours.......................................... Shirley Booth
Finance Review Committee Chair........ Tom Fahey
Investment Committee Chair................. Cathy Boltz
Nominating Committee........................... Cathy Boltz, Maureen Kincaid, Sharon Prentice
.......................................................................... & Terry Schrantz
Letter from Christ Child Society of Naples President Cathy Boltz
Welcome back. Bienvenido. A nous saluons le retour. Bentorato. Willkommen zuruck.
Bem vindo de volta! Can you tell I spent part of my summer vacation in Europe?
However you say it, we are glad you are here. November is the time to start thinking
about Christ Child Society of Naples. We have planned our coming year and hope
you will be a great part of it. You will see the dates of our events in other parts of this
newsletter. Please make a note of them on your calendars. Our first General Meeting is
Wednesday, Nov. 12, at 3 pm at the Northern Trust Bank, 4th floor at Park Shore. I hope
to see all of your smiling faces. It is on a Wednesday this year because of Veteran’s Day.
Our members are all amazing. To think of all the different projects Christ Child Society of
Naples accomplishes in just the season we are here is remarkable. The view from outside
looking in is really incredible. The Kids Kare, the Layettes, the My Stuff Bags, the Grieving
Gowns, the Ronald McDonald bus and the Bright Smiles program, reading to kids at
Golden Gate Elementary, the Fun Time Academy volunteers, the ELLM volunteers. I
could go on, but you know who you are. We all do a part to make up the whole of our
organization. Keep up the good works and I’ll see you soon. –Cathy Boltz
Christ Child Programs
Grace Place needs pantry items
Please consider bringing to our General
Meeting the following staples for the Grace
Place pantry: dried beans, rice, cereal,
powdered milk, canned fruit and vegetables,
macaroni and cheese, pasta, noodles and
spaghetti sauce.
Volunteer for ELLM Program
Each year approximately 80 Christ Child
members volunteer in the ELLM program,
working to improve the early literacy of
children from low-income homes. The
program provides volunteers with everything
they need to successfully interact with the
children over 19 weeks (or whatever amount
of time the volunteer is able to donate).
Every week the volunteer receives a fresh
bag of materials and a script or lesson plan
to help. Each session lasts 20-25 minutes so
a volunteer is able to work with four or five
pairs of children during each weekly visit.
Because of increased safety regulations,
our volunteers who work with children are
required to have their fingerprints taken as
part of a background check. Just complete
the online application at www.collierschools.
com (click Volunteers in the left-hand
column). You will then be contacted to set
up an appointment to have your fingerprints
taken at the School District’s Administration
Building. There is no cost to the volunteer.
Join the group of volunteers who are
touching the future and improving schools in
Collier County. For more information contact
Mary Polizzotto / marypolizzotto@gmail.com.
My Stuff Bags needs toiletries
Christ Child Society provides these bags to
children who are in homeless shelters or are
removed from their homes, sometimes with
nothing at all. The bags contain clothing, a
book and stuffed animals as well as small,
personal care toiletries such as toothpaste,
shampoo, soap and combs. If you have
collected any of these items during your
summer travels, please bring them to the
General Meeting. And please keep this
worthwhile project in mind on future trips!
Projects funded by 2014 Red Wagon Gala
Board Meetings:
Northern Trust Bank
Board Room 3 pm
November 6, 2014
January 15, 2015
March 5, 2015
April 16, 2015
General Meetings:
Northern Trust Bank
Fourth Floor
Larson Room 3-5 pm
November 12, 2014
January 20, 2015
March 10, 2015
April 21, 2015
Save the Dates:
December 9, 2014
Christmas Party
February 10, 2015 Founders
Luncheon
March 28, 2015
Red Wagon Gala
CHRIST
CHILD
SOCIETY
NAPLES
Childhood Matters / November/December 2014 / Page 3
The following projects were funded through generous participation in the Red Wagon Gala,
the main fundraiser of The Christ Child Society of Naples:
n A collection of books for new Habitat for Humanity homes $1,000
n ELLM (Early Literacy and Learning Model) books for Head Start through First Book $18,000
n ELLM consumables for the classroom (paper, paint, crayons, etc.) $7,000
n Scholarships for Summer Camp at Grace Place $16,000
n Summer scholarships for Fun Time Academy $16,000
n Art Therapy Program consumables for The Children’s Advocacy Center $16,000
n Bookshelves, books for the start of an all-age-group reading library at Youth Haven $16,000
n Lighting project at Providence House $5,200
Calendar
of Events
CHRIST
CHILD
SOCIETY
NAPLES
PO Box 770179
Naples, FL 34107-0179
www.christchildnaples.org
Christ Child Naples Summer Scholarships
Christ Child Naples
funded a variety of
summer activities at
Grace Place (photos
at right) and Fun
Time Academy. Each
organization received
$16, 000 to provide
scholarships for children
to attend their summer
programs.