McKinley Brighton Elementary School kindergartners (from left) Honesty Harper, Danaysia Simpkins, Tynasia Warner and Promise Richards-Jones on Friday pick out their new hats and gloves. Every kindergartner at the school was told that they will get a chance to pick a hat and a pair of gloves. Mark Wladis (left) suggested that "girls, ladies should go first."
Note: This article written by contributing writer Alex Ptachick.
Students at LeMoyne Elementary School in Syracuse Friday broke into smiles and started clapping when they heard the news that they would get to pick out their very own pair of gloves and hat to keep them warm this winter.
First grade teacher, Sarah Scott, picked names from a container and one-by-one each student picked out a set from hats and gloves from the collection spread out on a table.
"I feel thankful," said Leshae Breed, a 6-year-old in Scott's class. "I'm going to wear them everyday so I'm warm."
The hats-and-glove drive organizer, local businessman George Wladis, joined several donors Friday to wrap up this year's distribution of hats and gloves to city school district elementary students.
Want to help next year? You can call The Wladis Companies at 315-474-1400
The program started 16 years ago when Wladis saw a small write up in the newspaper about students in need of hats and gloves at Seymour Dual Language Academy. He was alarmed to find out that some students in the district didn't have the necessary items to keep them warm during the winter.
"I called them up and I said, 'what's going on over there,' because I just never dreamt that kids would be without gloves and hats," Wladis said Friday. "They told me and I said, 'well, you'll have them tomorrow."
Wladis went out that night and scrounged up 300 hats and 300 pairs of gloves to deliver to Seymour the next day. His annual hats-and-gloves program this year outfitted 13,000 students with cold weather gear.
Wladis said he works with several companies and groups to raise enough money to supply all 13 elementary schools with enough hats and gloves for every student. He also donates hats and gloves to the Assisi Center on North Salina Street and St. Lucy's Church on Gifford Street.
Wladis said he gets donations from companies and buys the items from distributors at a discounted price. Eight women also kit hats and gloves for children.
Before being shipped to the schools, the items are sorted and packaged at the Bova School Supply Center on Erie Boulevard West. Wladis and representatives from the donating companies went to some of the schools today for the hats and gloves distribution.
"It brings tears to my eyes," Wladis said. "They're just so happy."
Who helped
These companies donated to the annual hats and gloves giveaway
American Food & Vending
The Bonadio Group
Citigroup
CRA Infrastructure & Engineering
Dermody, Burke & Brown
Empire State Container
Excellus BlueCross BlueShield of CNY
Firley, Moran, Freer & Eassa
First Niagara Bank
Haylor, Freyer & Coon
HPMile
IBEW Local Union 43
KeyBank
Northland Communications
Parsons & Associates
Satter & Andrews,
Gary and Donna Smith
Smith Barney
Support Services Alliance
Christopher Whyland
The Widewaters Group
The Wladis Companies
The Wladis Law Firm
United Association of Plumbers & Steamfitters
Zausmer, Frisch, Scruton & Aggarwal