44°
The Family Resource Center — a cheerful after-school room will serve the some 20 children who are living with their families in the shelter at any given time.
"We are delighted to have hands-on help from the Junior League of Stamford-Norwalk to bring new light and life to our family resource,” said Jeannette Archer-Simons, executive director of the Open Door Shelter. “Children who are homeless often fall behind in school. This project will help us to assure that those who are staying here, or are served by our housing and food program, succeed in school.”
Beginning in August, league volunteers remodeled the existing Family Resource Center to create new workstations, a reading nook, and a lending library.
Following a recent ribbon-cutting ceremony, families enjoyed a healthy meal provided by Palmwich of Darien and Junior League volunteers spent time reading and doing a craft project with children in the shelter — the first of three literacy nights that league will host at Open Door Shelter this year.
“This renovation project allows children a safe space to enjoy books, do their homework, and play games twice a week with shelter volunteers,” Laura Barbosa, Junior League community council director, said. “Wednesday night the children each got to pick 5 books from the lending library. They also received JLSN goodie bags that included school supplies donated by BIC.”
The Junior League of Stamford Norwalk is an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women, and improving the community through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable
Currently, the organization has more than 250 active and sustaining members in Stamford, Norwalk, Darien, New Canaan, Wilton, Weston, Westport, and Ridgefield. For more information, visit http://www.jlsn.org.
For more information about the Open Door Shelter, visit http://www.opendoorshelter.org.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Norwalk and receive free news updates.
