Fort Bliss Monitor

BOSS takes needy kids on Back to School Shopping Spree

Story and photos by
Dustin Perry,Editor

Spc. Edward Carrillo, BOSS president, checks to see if a jacket will fit 6-year-old Orlando Martinez while shopping for him during ChildSpree.

More than 20 Soldiers, recruited by the Better Opportunities for Single Servicemembers program, volunteered their time to help children shop for school clothes early Saturday morning at a local Mervyn’s.

The event, known as ChildSpree, began 13 years ago as a dual effort between the chain clothing store and United Way to help financially strapped families by raising money to pay for their children’s back-to-school wardrobes and supplies. This year alone, more than $1 million was donated by Mervyn’s and other nonprofit organizations.

Pfc. Danielle Stansell, BOSS vice president said she found out about the program after she received a call from a United Way representative seeking volunteers to help take the children shopping.

“It’s an event they’d done before in previous years, so they decided to get a bunch of volunteers from different units on Fort Bliss,” said Stansell.

Once all the volunteers were chosen, they met at Mervyn’s hours before the doors were opened for regular customers and were each assigned a child to shop for. Denise Juarez, a special projects manager with United Way, then told them they had a budget of $110 – $100 tax-free, plus a 10-percent discount. Each child had filled out a sheet beforehand, noting their sizes, so the child spree began.

“The children started off shy, but when we started shopping they started talking and became very happy,” said Stansell. “I think it’s a great event for the children who don’t get the opportunity to buy clothes for school. They get clothes, shoes and a free backpack with school supplies, so this saved their parents money they probably didn’t have to begin with.”

Spc. Bryan Loughran and 8-year-old Charles Dohse descend the escalator at a local Mervyn’s to pay for their ChildSpree selections.

Juarez said $100 could go a long way if it was budgeted right.

“I told them to go for quantity, not quality,” said Juarez. “Some of the children might want a cool T-shirt, but if they go to a school that requires uniforms, they need three sets of those more than they need that T-shirt.”
Juarez said ChildSpree has a positive effect on children because “they get to go back to school feeling good about themselves.”

“Self-esteem is a really big thing, so we want them to go back to school feeling good about their clothing so they can concentrate on what they need to concentrate on at school,” she said.

BOSS wasn’t the only organization to provide volunteer shoppers for the event. Other organizations involved included FedEx, AT&T and UPS. Norma Mayorga, a ramp manager at FedEx, said she volunteered because she loves getting involved with charity events that benefit children and helping “those who need help.”

“It’s wonderful just to see the kids’ faces light up and the joy that we bring with just a couple hours of our time,” said Mayorga. “I shopped for an 11-year-old girl, and she was old enough to kind of know what she wanted and I think that made it a little easier. She was able to give me direction and the two of us just checked prices and we spent every penny.”

Mayorga was able to purchase three sets of uniforms, socks, underwear, undergarments, a pair of tennis shoes and a T-shirt for weekend wear with her $110.

“For someone who doesn’t like to shop a whole lot, this was a nice shopping experience because I was helping somebody else,” said Mayorga.

Thirteen-year-old Sergio Gutierrez, who will be an eighth grader at Montwood Middle School this year, said he enjoyed shopping because he got to meet some friends and was able to purchase “all the stuff [he] needed for school.”

“I usually wear khaki pants and white shirts, and I found everything I was looking for,” said Gutierrez. “I was surprised with the amount of clothes I was able to get for only $100 because I expected it to cost more.”
ChildSpree helped shop for 95 children in El Paso this year.

Candy Whimple and Yadira Nuñez, 11, check the shoe aisles of a local Mervyn’s to look for the best price on a new pair for the upcoming school year.



www.bliss.army.mil	Published for the Fort Bliss/El Paso, Texas Community	August 18, 2005

<map name="boxmap-b4"> <area shape="rect" coords="0, 589, 120, 600" href="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm/privacy-policy.html?o=1" > <area coords="0,0,10000,10000" href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=&creative=92501&camp=8117&link_code=dl1&path=subst/misc/amazon-cobrand-cc/v3/marketing-from-associates-step1.html/ref%3Db1_assoc_29" > </map>	BOSS takes needy kids on Back to School Shopping Spree Story and photos by Dustin Perry,Editor Spc. Edward Carrillo, BOSS president, checks to see if a jacket will fit 6-year-old Orlando Martinez while shopping for him during ChildSpree. More than 20 Soldiers, recruited by the Better Opportunities for Single Servicemembers program, volunteered their time to help children shop for school clothes early Saturday morning at a local Mervyn’s. The event, known as ChildSpree, began 13 years ago as a dual effort between the chain clothing store and United Way to help financially strapped families by raising money to pay for their children’s back-to-school wardrobes and supplies. This year alone, more than $1 million was donated by Mervyn’s and other nonprofit organizations. Pfc. Danielle Stansell, BOSS vice president said she found out about the program after she received a call from a United Way representative seeking volunteers to help take the children shopping. “It’s an event they’d done before in previous years, so they decided to get a bunch of volunteers from different units on Fort Bliss,” said Stansell. Once all the volunteers were chosen, they met at Mervyn’s hours before the doors were opened for regular customers and were each assigned a child to shop for. Denise Juarez, a special projects manager with United Way, then told them they had a budget of $110 – $100 tax-free, plus a 10-percent discount. Each child had filled out a sheet beforehand, noting their sizes, so the child spree began. “The children started off shy, but when we started shopping they started talking and became very happy,” said Stansell. “I think it’s a great event for the children who don’t get the opportunity to buy clothes for school. They get clothes, shoes and a free backpack with school supplies, so this saved their parents money they probably didn’t have to begin with.” Spc. Bryan Loughran and 8-year-old Charles Dohse descend the escalator at a local Mervyn’s to pay for their ChildSpree selections. Juarez said $100 could go a long way if it was budgeted right. “I told them to go for quantity, not quality,” said Juarez. “Some of the children might want a cool T-shirt, but if they go to a school that requires uniforms, they need three sets of those more than they need that T-shirt.” Juarez said ChildSpree has a positive effect on children because “they get to go back to school feeling good about themselves.” “Self-esteem is a really big thing, so we want them to go back to school feeling good about their clothing so they can concentrate on what they need to concentrate on at school,” she said. BOSS wasn’t the only organization to provide volunteer shoppers for the event. Other organizations involved included FedEx, AT&T and UPS. Norma Mayorga, a ramp manager at FedEx, said she volunteered because she loves getting involved with charity events that benefit children and helping “those who need help.” “It’s wonderful just to see the kids’ faces light up and the joy that we bring with just a couple hours of our time,” said Mayorga. “I shopped for an 11-year-old girl, and she was old enough to kind of know what she wanted and I think that made it a little easier. She was able to give me direction and the two of us just checked prices and we spent every penny.” Mayorga was able to purchase three sets of uniforms, socks, underwear, undergarments, a pair of tennis shoes and a T-shirt for weekend wear with her $110. “For someone who doesn’t like to shop a whole lot, this was a nice shopping experience because I was helping somebody else,” said Mayorga. Thirteen-year-old Sergio Gutierrez, who will be an eighth grader at Montwood Middle School this year, said he enjoyed shopping because he got to meet some friends and was able to purchase “all the stuff [he] needed for school.” “I usually wear khaki pants and white shirts, and I found everything I was looking for,” said Gutierrez. “I was surprised with the amount of clothes I was able to get for only $100 because I expected it to cost more.” ChildSpree helped shop for 95 children in El Paso this year. Candy Whimple and Yadira Nuñez, 11, check the shoe aisles of a local Mervyn’s to look for the best price on a new pair for the upcoming school year.