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New clothes � like everyone else ChildSpree helps kids get set for school By Jonel Aleccia Dedra Leffingwell�s cool jeans may have faded after a year�s wear, but not the thrill of the shopping spree that provided them. "We had a good time. I got one pair of Pipes jeans that was $35!�� the Medford sixth-grader recalls. "My sister got two bags of stuff for back to school." Dedra and her sister, Ivorie Romero, 8, were among some 50 local children who received new clothes, backpacks and supplies last summer as part of ChildSpree, a program that helps low-income kids head back to school in style. "She�s still wearing those jeans," says Diana Romero, 37, mother to Dedra, Ivorie and three other kids ages 6 to 18. "This program helps a lot. When I had five kids at home, I wondered how I was going to swing it." This year, organizers hope to more than double the number of children served, thanks to joint efforts by several area Soroptimist International clubs and a Medford department store. ChildSpree 2000 will be held from 7:30 to 11 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 5 at the Mervyn�s store in the Rogue Valley Mall. Dedra, Ivorie and about 120 other children will receive $100 each to stock up on socks, undies and stylish gear � all on sale �before heading to school in September. "Anything we can do to help children feel good about themselves as they go back to school is good,�� says Kathy Garrett Canape, who�s organizing the event as a Soroptimist member and as an employee of the state-run Community Partnership Team. "Having nice clothes can�t help but build self-esteem." The children, many of whom are referred through the Big Brother/Big Sister program or the National Kidney Foundation, will be treated to breakfast and entertained with activities ranging from a fire truck demonstration and a helicopter to performances by a clown. Then they�ll spend an hour or more, with the help of volunteer adult chaperones, picking out shirts, jeans, socks and shoes . Parents aren�t allowed to accompany the children, although they do give permission for kids to participate. "The chaperones really help the kids stretch their dollars," says Jim Skinner, manager of the Mervyn�s store. "And sometimes, at the end, the chaperones pull out $2 or $3 or $5 to make sure a kid gets the shirt they really want." This is the eighth year that Mervyn�s California will host the shopping spree. The corporation offers each of its 267 stores in 14 states $3,000 to finance the program, plus an additional 10 percent discount on all purchases. Nationwide, the program provides $2 million to clothe some 17,500 school-age kids annually. Locally, the program served about 30 children for several years before expanding to include 20 more last year. Then three area Soroptimist International Clubs adopted the ChildSpree as a service project, Canape says. "In Albany, Oregon, about 200 children are served annually. We thought we wanted to do that, too," she says. "We are looking at this year as a base to build from." So far, the area clubs have raised $12,000, including the $3,000 donation from Mervyn�s. The funds include $400 donated by Lynda Frederickson, a member of the North Valley Soroptimist International club who recently received a national award for her volunteer efforts. Frederickson, who is contract manager for LTM Inc., received the 2000 Community Spirit award granted by MDU Resources, a Bismark, N.D., natural resources firm. Donations are still being accepted to help provide new clothes and filled backpacks to kids in communities from Ashland to Gold Hill. Contact Canape at 776-6164. Organizers say cool jeans and hip shoes can help disadvantaged kids start the school year off right. "They�re walking in the door with new clothes," says Skinner. "Just like everybody else." Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA