Karen Minerva’s third-grade class at Evans Elementary School is spreading holiday cheer this season, but not in the way one might think. After the seven students in Minerva’s class heard about other students in New Jersey who were unable to participate in Halloween parades because they could not afford to buy a costume, the class took it upon themselves to collect them in a project they dubbed Costumes for Kids.
“My sister is a social worker in Trenton. We met for breakfast on Halloween morning and she told me how some of the children in the families she works with don’t have costumes to participate in school parades,” said Minerva, who is assisted in her classroom by Florie Cirignano, an aide.
She brought the issue to her class, who became equally upset, and decided to do something about it. The students launched the campaign by creating a flyer, visiting other classrooms at Evans asking for support, and even speaking during their school’s morning announcements. After four weeks, the students had collected 26 new or gently used costumes appropriate for infants to young teenagers. Several of the students in Minerva’s class even had donated their personal favorite costumes to the project.
“In third-grade, we study community and the importance of being a good citizen as part of the district’s social studies curriculum,” Minerva said.
Minerva also said she is already planning to run Costumes for Kidsagain next year.
“I told them the story and it just made sense,” Minerva said. “No kid wants to see any other kid not be able to participate. It was kid-driven.”
Christine Minerva, Karen’s younger sister, collected the costumes at Evans on Dec. 8. She thanked the students and told them the costumes would be used well before Oct. 31.
“Families come to us literally with the clothes on their back,” Christine Minerva said. “It’s important for them to have tangible resources, but also for them to feel a sense of normalcy. During the holidays, we let our families go ‘shopping’ in our basement, and our kids like to play dress up, so I know these costumes will be put to good use.”
Christine Minerva is a counselor/Division of Child Protection and Permanency (DCP&P) Liaison for Womanspace in Mercer County, a non-profit that provides a comprehensive array of services to individuals and families impacted by abuse. Womanspace is dedicated to improving the quality of life for adults and their families.
“We can help other kids because when they want to dress-up, they can have their costumes to play in,” said third-grader Jade Tilo. “I want the kids to have great costumes and I hope they like it. Maybe when they get bigger they might do that for other people.”
