KidSpree shoppers wanted

Staff Reports

It is the goal of the Active 20-30 Club to raise $10,000 and sign up 100 volunteers to take children back-to-school shopping, 6:45-8 a.m. Saturday, at Walmart on Topsy Lane.

With a record number of children qualified to be a part of the annual back-to-school shopping event, and more on the waiting list, more sponsors and volunteers are needed at the sixth annual Active 20-30 KidSpree shopping event.

More than 60 children will be treated to a shopping spree by volunteers from Sierra Nevada No. 730 and Carson Valley No. 85 Active 20-30 Clubs. Children accompanied by adult volunteers select $100 worth of shoes and clothes to help prepare them for the school year. They receive haircuts donated by hair salons and breakfast from McDonald's.

A total of $10,000 is needed to provide the children with new clothes, shoes and the basics for the school year.

"In this economic crisis, there are a record number of children in need. The annual KidSpree is a way of helping some of those impacted the most - the kids, right here in Douglas County and Northern Nevada," said Kristie Traver, director of the Family Support Council.

"Each year there are kids who return to school wearing worn-out, ill-fitting clothes and shoes and a sense of not fitting in," said Jennifer Motti, president of Sierra Nevada Active 20-30 Club. "By coming together as a community, we are able to not only provide children with quality clothing, but the confidence and tools necessary for success."

KidSpree is 6:45 a.m. Saturday at Walmart on Topsy Lane. Volunteers should arrive at the McDonald's (north) entrance of the store by 6 a.m. for a brief overview. Children start arriving at 6:45 a.m.

Information, Jennifer Motti, jenjenz71@yahoo.com or (702) 807-4557.

Donations accepted at Sierra Nevada Active 20-30, P.O. Box 2231, Minden, NV 89423 or www.sierranv2030.org

KidSpree is the Active 20-30 Club's National Project and all Active 20-30 Clubs across the United States and Canada participate in a similar event on or around Aug. 7. In 2009, the Active 20-30 Clubs of the United States and Canada donated more than $400,000 in clothing and other back-to-school items to more than 3,300 children across the country.

The Active 20-30 Club is an international, nonprofit organization comprised of local clubs that raise funds for special needs children in our local community. With more than a decade of service in Carson Valley, the Sierra Nevada Active 20-30 Club annually donates thousands of dollars in support of local charities and children's groups, including Kids & Horses, Tahoe Youth and Family Services, Family Support Council, Boys & Girls Club, and Austin's House. Membership information, www.sierranv2030.org