BHS Senior Collects Old Soccer Uniforms for Needy

A Brentwood High School senior is on a mission this summer to collect presently unused uniforms from past seasons. Here is information from Nick Koltz:

GOT UNIFORMS???
My name is Nick Kolts and I will be a senior at BHS. I have been involved in soccer since I was 4 years old and it has been a big part of my life. I have started an organization called "Y.O.U.", which stands for Your Old Uniforms. I am collecting old soccer uniforms and have a Y.O.U collection box by the welcome desk at the Concord Road and Maryland Farms YMCA. I am distributing them to organizations, both locally and internationally. I want to give back to youth that would love to play but do not have the means to purchase uniforms etc. Especially in this economy, there are many groups that cannot afford to purchase uniforms on their own. I am promoting this with the slogan, "Y.O.U. can make a difference in a child's life".

To date, with the help of the Brentwood Soccer Club and local high schools such as BHS, I have collected over 1000 uniforms. The first donation was recently sent to children in Honduras. More will be sent to an orphanage in Uganda in July and I hope to have some sent with the soldiers of Fort Campbell when they next deploy to Iraq and Afghanistan.

If you have soccer uniforms to donate, please drop them off at the Brentwood Concord Road or Maryland Farms YMCA. If you know of an organization with children who need uniforms, please contact me at cdkolts@aol.com.

Food Donations needed for "Feed Our Future"

From a BHS Student:
May 15, 2009
Dear Parents and Students,
My name is Victoria Calton and I am a YAC leader at Brentwood High School (YAC is the Youth Advisory Council sponsored by United Way). I am currently working with the United Way, the Williamson County Boys and Girls Club, and the Second Harvest Food Bank in a fight against hunger. I have recently met with the Director of the Franklin Boys and Girls Club and learned that there is a need for nutritious food packs for children during the summer. These children typically rely on free school lunches for their main source of nutrition during the day; however, there isn’t a guaranteed source of nutrition for these same children during the summer months when they are not in school. I am starting a program this summer to address this need in our community—a program I am calling “Feed our Future” and will start by providing weekly snack packs of nutritious staples for at-risk children in our community. These will be delivered in partnership with the Boys and Girls Club in Franklin.
Approximately 90 percent of the children (averaging ages 6-12) who attend the Franklin Boys and Girls Club are from single-parent homes and are at or below the national poverty level. These children need our help and I am asking you to help me by providing donations, so that I can deliver these items as part of a weekend snack pack. I am expected to deliver on average 30 meals per week to the Boys and Girls Club throughout the summer and will distribute these items in one-gallon baggies. A typical baggie will contain fruit juice, dry cereal, non refrigerated milk, crackers, small servings of peanut butter, applesauce, beans and franks, and other high protein and nutritious non-perishable items.
In order to have plenty of each item, I am asking for specific donations from each group:
· Classes of 2009 and 2010: juice boxes
· Classes of 2011 and 2012: single serving apple sauces and fruit cups
· Faculty and others: single serving cans of beans and franks or Vienna sausages (with pop top, please)

I know this is short notice, but I am asking for donations (food or financial) during the last week of school and at any time throughout the summer. I will begin assembling and donating snack pack weekend meals during the week of June 1st. You can drop off items at Dr. Calton’s office at Brentwood High School. You may also email or call me to make arrangements for pick up.
This is a difficult time for everyone, but especially for those in need. Please help me fight hunger and Feed our Future…these children really need our help and a case of fruit juice or protein-packed serving of food can go a long way. Please call me if you have any questions or if you would like to learn more about snack pack meals for this program during the summer…..

Thank you for your generosity and participating in Feed our Future!
Victoria Calton (972-3809, 309-8341 or 776-2513)
victoriacalton@aol.com