Junior Service League provides clothes for 50 local children

Fifty local children have a new set of winter clothes thanks to a partnership among the Junior Service League of Port St Joe, the Tapper Foundation and Sears.  Twenty five students from Port St Joe Elementary and twenty five from Wewahitchka Elementary Schools arrived at Sears in Panama City on Monday, November 9th for a shopping spree.  Each student received new winter wardrobe including: two pairs of long pants, two shirts, a jacket, a pair of tennis shoes, and packages of underwear and socks, just in time for winter.  This year, chairperson, Stephanie Rentfro organized the event and members, Lynn Marshall, Vanesa Ryan, Kim McFarland, Cornelia Wiley, Jessica Rish and Ginger Golson participated.

During the Sears Shopping Trip, Junior Service League members serve as the kids’ personal shoppers, walking the students through a special shopping area created just for them.  Each station holds a rack of new clothes just waiting to be chosen.  The shirts and shoes were the biggest hits.  A row of pastel colored shirts beckoned the girls.

“I love that one,” one little girl said, smiling widely while pointing to a hot pink, long sleeved knit shirt.  In fact, the girls could get most any article in pink, from the pants and shirts to the underwear, jacket, and even the shoes.  It was a pink day for many.  For the boys, the favorite choice was the tennis shoes.  The most popular pair included a Spiderman comic book. 

 DeEtta Smallwood, counselor at Port St Joe Elementary said, “The fall clothing trip sponsored by the Junior Service League is a wonderful experience for our students not only because of the beautiful new fall and winter clothes they receive, but also because of the one-on-one attention given as League members help them choose their new clothes.  It is very heartwarming to see the smiles of joy on the faces of these boys and girls as they receive their clothes and then wear them proudly to school.  This is a rare opportunity for many of our students which would not be possible without the support of the Junior Service League.”

 The Sears Shopping Trip is a cherished event for Junior Service League members.  Some of the children arrive in the morning wearing dirty socks, tight jeans, and worn out shoes.  To fit each one of them with a new pair of pants, a package of stark white socks and a new pair of shoes is a wonderful feeling, but it is watching the children that makes this event special.  Jessica Rish, shopped with a child who does not speak.  The little girl did not speak a word, until Jessica put a pair of pink tennis shoes on her feet; then she pointed and smiled.  Jessica started to cry.  Each League member has a similar story of what the Sears Shopping Trip means to her.

 The Junior Service League is an organization of women whose goal is to help Gulf County Children.  In addition to the Sears Shopping Trip, the Junior Service League also sponsors a mentoring program for middle school girls and the community Easter Egg Hunt.  The League also gives away thousands of dollars in scholarships annually through the spring Essay Contest and the Junior Miss Program, which awarded nearly $6000 in scholarships in October 2009.  In order to fund these projects, the Junior Service League sponsors an annual Gala at Mardi Gras and sells cookbooks, Thyme in Port: Celebrating Florida’s Constitution City.  All proceeds from these fundraisers go to League programs.