Avon Lake Special Education Students Donate To Nonprofit

AVON LAKE, OH — Each fall, Vickie Tomlin's special education students go classroom to classroom, speaking about the Community Resource Services' need for cleaning supplies and toiletries. This year, their efforts led to the donation of nearly 400 pounds of materials.

"These supplies are very important. Most of our clients have food stamps and those stamps only purchase food. They don’t buy toilet paper or tooth paste. These supplies are very much in need, especially around the holidays," said Kris Greene, Community Resource Services' pantry manager.

Besides helping the vulnerable in Avon and Avon Lake, the annual cleaning supplies and toiletries drive by Tomlin's class gives students real-life experience with social skills. She said the high school's teachers are "fabulous" and work hard to integrate Tomlin's students.

After students speak to classes, boxes are placed in the offices of the high school, the special education office and the district office. Tomlin's students decorate all of the donation boxes to further incentivize altruism.

"When it is time to pick up, my students collect the items, read the labels, sort them by category, and count them. This program helps them learn what items are needed for personal hygiene and what items are needed to clean their house," Tomlin told Patch in an email.

The students then deliver the donation boxes to Community Resource Services. Students work as a team to unload the bus and then weigh the items.

"This is one of my favorite program as it provided real-life learning and helping the community they live in. The opportunity to go beyond “worksheets” and develop academic, social skills, and vocational skills in a hands-on format is so important," Tomlin said. "We appreciate all the staff and the community that supports our yearly program without them it would not be possible."

Greene said she and her coworkers look forward to Tomlin's class' annual visit each year. "They take great care in everything they do," she said.

Once the students' supplies are loaded into the Community Resource Services pantry, clients of the nonprofit are given the opportunity to take home toiletries and cleaning supplies. Staff provide a checklist for each client and the supplies go quickly. Last year, Community Resource Services doled out more than 98,000 pounds of food, toiletries and other supplies.