Winchester Kiwanis takes 150 children shopping for clothes

Published 10:51 am Monday, October 10, 2016

Families lined up as much as an hour and a half early Saturday morning while members of the Winchester Kiwanis Clubs set up its annual Walk with a Child.

Club members spent more than a year raising about $14, 000 to take about hundreds of children shopping at Walmart for school clothes, club member Russ Morrison said. They raised enough to take 181 children shopping, he said, though about 150 were expected to attend.

Still, an hour after the event officially began, there was a long, long line of families waiting their turn to go shopping. Each family was accompanied by a club member or volunteer as they went through the store.

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“Well, my princess, I know where you need to do,” volunteer Cindy Banks told one little girl before embarking. “There’s all kinds of girly stuff over there.”

And off they went, looking for girly clothes. Others wanted to look for shoes. Others got winter coats.

“Everything we do is for the kids of Clark County,” club member Bob Jackson said while pairing families with volunteers.

The Winchester club has done this event for at least 40 years, he said.

“This is the big one,” Morrison said. “We fund-raise all year long. We try to put together at least $14,000 for this project.”

Each child had $80 to spend for clothes, be it coats, pants, socks, shoes or whatever they and their parents, grandparents or great grandparents agree on.

Officials at the preschool and the four elementary schools recommended children with needs to the club, Morrison said. With about 30 club members and volunteers on hand, it was a busy morning. After delivering a family to the checkout line, they picked up another for the next trip through the store.

“(There’s) not nearly enough,” Morrison said.

Contact Fred Petke at fred.petke@winchestersun.com.

About Fred Petke

Fred Petke is a reporter for The Winchester Sun, the Jessamine Journal and the State Journal. His beats include cops, courts, fire, public records, city and county government and other news. To contact Fred, email fred.petke@bluegrassnewsmedia.com or call 859-759-0051.

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