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AdDaptive’s Q1 Community Outreach Program: Cradles To Crayons

March 21, 2019 |
Laura Bakopolus Goldstone

AdDaptive’s Q1 2019 Community Outreach program allowed us to donate our time to Cradles to Crayons.

Cradles to Crayons is a local non-profit with a mission of providing underprivileged children from birth through age 12 with the everyday essentials they need to thrive – at home, at school, and at play. Their overarching vision – a future free of childhood poverty – inspires their work. The organization was launched in Boston in 2002; its walls have expanded in Massachusetts and beyond, and its impact has touched the lives of many across the entire country.

On March 7, a group of 14 AdDaptive team members spent the afternoon volunteering at the Cradles to Crayons Factory Warehouse in Brighton, MA. Our shift was spent filling school supply kits, sorting through the donations, and creating outfit bags that would be sent to underprivileged children ages 0 months to 12 years old throughout Massachusetts.

We began our mission filling school supply kits with pencils, sharpeners, markers, erasers, and paper. After a quick “divide and conquer” strategy, we were able to make so many kits that we eventually ran out of paper! We then moved to the sorting station where we organized giant bins of donated goods. Our last task was at the clothing station, where we broke into small groups and helped assemble outfits that would be sent directly to the children.

Rachel McKay, Account Manager and co-organizer of community outreach programs at AdDaptive, stated:

“Being a part of a mission that helps make positive change in the world is rewarding. There are so many people who are struggling in our own communities that need our help. After working with Cradles to Crayons, I left feeling gratitude for what I have in my personal life, and also learned that something as small as time could change a child’s life.”

 

An additional donation was also made in AdDaptive’s name.

Some facts about Cradles to Crayons:

  • New and nearly new children’s items are collected through grassroots community drives and corporate donations.
  • Donations are then processed and packaged by volunteers in their warehouse.
  • Packages from The Giving Factory are distributed to local disadvantaged children — through their collaborative network of diverse Service Partners.
  • The entire organization is driven by a focused and all-important goal: to make life better for children in need. To make this happen, it takes a wide variety of individuals and groups coming together to make a difference in local communities. Cradles to Crayons works with over 50,000 volunteers and 335 agencies to serve over 1,200,000 children.

What you can do to help:

  • Donate goods: Clothing, bedding, shoes, socks and underwear are always accepted.
  • Volunteer: Find a location near you and join nearly 75,000 others committed to serving over 245,000 children each year.
  • Fund the cause: A gift of $33 can impact the life of one child.
  • Gift through Amazon: When shopping with Amazon Smile, choose Cradles to Crayons as your supporting charity for a percentage of your purchase to help a child in need.