By Carolynn Wesp,
Creche Member,
Fall Sale Chair
The Creche, a local all-volunteer women’s organization, has a long history of helping children in the area. As its members prepare for their annual Fall Sale, being held October 4, 5, & 6 in the undercroft of St Luke’s Episcopal Church (410 N. Main Street, Jamestown, NY 14701), it seems timely to take a look at all that this organization does to help children and families in Southern Chautauqua County.
Crèche began in 1900, and its members have a long-standing history of helping local children and meeting needs in the pediatric departments of local hospitals. Their projects have changed and evolved over the last century, but the goal of helping families with children remains the same. They are also known for supporting the work of other local organizations who have a similar mission.
The present-day Holiday Gifts Committee provides families with presents at Christmas time, while the Camperships Committee provides funds for children to attend area summer camps. The Child Assistance Committee investigates needs of area families and donates beds, linens, and other necessary items to keep children healthy and safe. Creche’s Hospital Committee provides a Halo Sleep Sac to each child born at UPMC Chautauqua each year, and our School Support committee purchases needed items each year for children in 20 area schools. Funds are also dispersed to send six Chautauqua County children to Royal Family Kids Camp each year.
Special fund-raising projects have been a hallmark of Crèche’s history. Modern day efforts raise the necessary funds to support their many programs. The recent Golf Tournament, Fore the Children, and the Friends of Creche Campaign help to build up the $80,000 yearly budget needed to implement their programs. Our assistance at the Gran Fondo each year and sales from our upcoming Fall Sale also bring in much needed funds. Please plan on visiting this year’s sale, held during the first week of October, where quality items will be available at reasonable prices. The sale will be held on October 4, 5, and 6 and will run from 9am-5pm on Wednesday and Thursday, and 9am-12pm on Friday with a bag sale. We hope to see you there!
You can see that this all-volunteer organization is doing a lot for kids and has been for a very long time! Thank you to all in this great community who have supported our efforts! For more information or to join, please visit crecheforkids.org.