Clad for Kids 2010: UPDATE

Another update from Brian Duvall on the goings of this years Clad for Kids Charity event.

"Hey folks, the donations are all in and I have received all the kids' information for this years final push!!! I started this earlier this year, and the phenomenal outpouring of donations had pushed us over $1600 for the year! Here's the family info of those that we are helping this year....

Family #1 (2 Boys, grade 1 and grade 8)
I talked to the mom and she is raising the two boys on her own. One boy goes to the elementary where I regularly substitute. The 8th grade boy is being home-schooled due to his heart condition. He can't participate in much due to his condition. I was humbled by the meager requests from this family and I'm looking forward to getting these kids many things that they might not otherwise have ever got. A used Nintendo Gamecube is the wish item for these kids... I found one for $35 and got a couple of games for them so far.

Family #2 (3 Girls and 1 boy, ages 5, 9, 10, and 11)
They have just fallen on bad times and have limited income coming in. She was very grateful on the phone and very modest about asking for anything. I am amazed at how the kids tend to know the situation and did not ask for much... It is a sign of the times that the kids are now asking for clothes rather than toys... Zhu Zhu pets are the wish item for these kids...

Family #3 (3 Boys, ages grade 5, grade 2, and 14 months)
This family is really in turmoil... They are currently without home and are staying with relatives. The mom is getting out of a really bad situation with the father and is really struggling to stay afloat. They focused on clothing as their main items. The kids are not picky about the gifts in any way. This is not only helping her and the kids, it will be a big relief on her family too. I could tell when I talked to her sister that the situation has them all very stressed...

Family #4 (2 Girls, 1 boy, ages 9, 7, and 10 months)
Ok, this one is truly breaking my heart... First of all, I know the kids in this family and they are fantastic. Let's begin... As you see, the youngest is the little girl that was born 10 months ago... soon after giving birth, the mom began to have severe headaches. They began testing on here and found a brain tumor. They performed surgery on her and removed part of the tumor, but could not get it all or she would have lost all motor skills. She is currently going through radiation 5 days a week. She is in her 30's and this has taken a toll on her physically. She now walks with a walker and struggles to get through her days. She cannot work at this point, but she held a nice job prior to all this happening. If I find that we have some extra money when all the gifts are bought, I'd like to her and her husband some gas cards and grocery cards. My wife's family donated a bunch of beef from a steer to help them out too.

Okay, so this is our list for this year.... I want to express how proud I am of everyone who participated in this program! I've got a BUNCH of work to do this week... I'm working each day and still have to do all the shopping and wrapping after work... I'll be posting pics of the gifts and maybe even a video like I did last year... I apologize for not being able to photograph the recipients, but when you deal with school kids, different rules apply with photographs. And I know the people we are helping are people that are not accustomed to receiving a helping hand...it's uncomfortable enough for them. I may ask them to write a small letter of thanks to all the people who donated from around the world this year! I hope to make you all proud this year!!!! Wish me luck!!!! "


"Last night, my wife and I finished up the shopping getting all of the clothing and necessities. We started shopping at 7pm and didn't check out until 12:30am. I honestly have to say it kicked my but... I'm whooped! I had to work all day today until 6:30pm and my wife spent the day wrapping gifts. I'm so glad I have her here to help, because I wouldn't have made it without her. We had our first drop-off to our first family at 7:30pm tonight.

I have to tell you that this one was really special to me... This family is going through THE roughest of situations. As I mentioned, the mom is going through radiation treatment for a brain tumor and she has one of the most beautiful baby girls I've seen who is 10 months old. They also have a 2nd grade girl and a 1st grade boy.

I called her when we were on our way up and made sure the kids were in their rooms while we made the drop. When we arrived, the dad was holding the baby girl and mom made her way in to greet us. Her hair had been shorn from the surgery and she is swollen from the steroids and radiation treatments... I'm pretty sure that she is not able to hold the baby girl during the radiation treatment, which has weighed upon my mind through this evening. Her eyes welled with tears the entire time we were there and I was holding back myself. She's being so brave and strong for her family when you can tell she is quite weak. We didn't stay long and before we left, she gave my wife and I the biggest hug. She expressed that she never thought she'd be in this position and said that next year it will be different and they want to contribute to the program and pay it back to someone else in need. I'm proud that I was able to bring my little girls along to see what life is like and show the importance of helping others in their time of need.

I am trying to be as descriptive as possible to allow you to share the joy that I feel this evening. WE have done something special. This family is going to have a wonderful Christmas because of what we have done. The kids will have new clothing, shoes, coats and some awesome toys to open. After my wife and I finished getting everything on the lists... we were left with $200. I felt the need to get the parents of this family something to help them out. We gave them a $100 gas card to help with the transportation costs of her treatments, and a $100 grocery store card to get them well fed.

I wish you all could have been with me tonight to experience this... You've all made a big difference in 5 peoples' lives tonight!"