2011 National Service Project

A very important part of the Workshop is the National Service Project. This year, ALD will be partnering with The Relatives, a youth shelter in Charlotte.

The Relatives is Mecklenburg County’s ONLY shelter for homeless and runaway youth in Mecklenburg County. The program operates around-the-clock 365 days a year. Funding is provided by government grants, corporations and foundations, and individuals like you.

The more than 1,200 youth served by The Relatives each year need your help. The Relatives gladly accepts monetary contributions as well as in-kind donations of certain goods and services. We also offer volunteer opportunities for groups and individuals from mentoring to house maintenance projects. As you can imagine, maintaining a home for 9 teens is a constant challenge, especially for a bunch of social workers who barely know which is the working end of a screwdriver!

At the 2011 Workshop, attendees are asked to bring one or more of the following items for donation to The Relatives.  For a chapter-wide service project, collect these items on campus and bring a lot - let's make this October an early Christmas for the children in the care of The Relatives!

Recreational/Educational:

  • Jump Ropes
  • Ball: football, basketball, volleyball, kickball, soccer and playground
  • Baseball gloves and bats
  • Electric pump and needles for sports equipment
  • Art supplies and craft sets, sand art, construction paper
  • Pool table and pool sticks
  • Paint sets, coloring books, clay, play dough
  • Board games, educational software, CDs, DVDs

New Linens:

  • Mattress pads
  • Mattress covers (plastic)
  • Pillows
  • Twin sheet sets

Kitchen Items:

  • Paper Plates and Cups
  • Napkins
  • Paper towels
  • Pots and Pans (Cast iron and/or T-Fal)
  • Kitchen Towels
  • Deep Fryer
  • Broom
  • Oven Roaster

Household Items:

  • Vacuums - 2 upright and 2 handheld
  • DVD player/DVD's/ CD's
  • Wall Clocks/ Alarm Clocks
  • Dining Room Table
  • Camera
  • Area Rugs
  • Bookcases
  • Shredder
  • TV stand
  • Boom boxes
  • Video Camera

Hygiene Items:

  • Deodorant/anti-perspirant
  • Body wash and body puffs
  • Shampoo and styling products
  • Soap, all-natural or Dove
  • Feminine hygiene products
  • Toothbrushes, toothpaste, dental floss (travel size)
  • Hair combs and brushes, wavy brushes
  • Hair grease, gel, and hair moisturizer
  • Hand Sanitizer
  • Toilet paper

Clothes (especially underwear and bras)

  • Underwear
  • Bras
  • Tennis Shoes
  • Blue Jeans
  • Interview suits (boys and girls)
  • Winter Jackets, hats, gloves
  • Socks

Baby Items:

  • Baby Clothes/ Diapers
  • Baby food and formula
  • Maternity clothes

Other wishes:

  • Gift cards to grocery stores, gas stations, Wal-mart, Target, Home Depot, Lowes
  • Computers (Pentium 4 or higher)
  • Electronic game systems & games rated “E”
  • Event tickets
  • Bus/Rail Passes (CATS)
  • Field trip tickets (Ray’s Splash Planet, Lazy 5 Ranch, Discovery Place, Sports tickets...)
  • Picnic table
  • Xbox 360 games, a Wii, Wii games
  • Empty Cool Whip containers (used for knitting projects)