Helping children get a warm winter coat, socks shoes and more has been the job of the West Seattle Rotary Club holiday shopping spree for 43 years. This year the event moved to the Westfield Mall at Southcenter and 100 children got breakfast at the Rainforest Cafe and clothing items from Sears.
For the 43rd year, the West Seattle Rotary club held its shopping spree to help children from around West Seattle, providing warm coats, socks, shoes and more to 100 children.
This year the event had to change venues from the Sears store at SODO which closed, to the Sears store at Westfield Mall in Southcenter and through the efforts of primary organizer Mike Galvin. "Once we figured out we had to change venues, it was logistics. How can I keep them close to Sears and still be able to feed them so I talked to the Rainforest Cafe," said Galvin. "I really can't say enough good things about the people at Westfield Mall, and Sears, they've all been fabulous, donating time and more."
Five schools provided the names of the children who took part including Arbor Heights Elementary, K-5 Stem at Boren, Highland Park Elementary, Sanislo Elementary, and West Seattle Elementary.
The event starts early, with organizers arriving at 5:30am to get the coats and socks ready, organize the more than 200 volunteers and prepare the area.
It was staged just outside the entrance to Sears and the Rainforest Cafe which graciously agreed to host the continental style breakfast for the children and participants.
The children each get a warm coat, a pair of shoes, socks and a $100 stipend to spend on other items of clothing at Sears.
The volunteers included many people from graduate fraternties and sororities at the University of Washington including Alpha Kappa Alpha, Delta Sigma Theta, Sigma Gamma Rho and Zeta Phi Beta sororities, and Alpha Phi Alpha, Omega Psi Phi, Kappa Alpha Psi, and Phi Beta Sigma fraternities.
