Students, Communities in Schools of Cameron County staff and site coordinators and Kohl’s Department Store volunteers pose for a group photo Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022, during Communities in Schools of Cameron County’s annual winter shopping spree for selected students at Kohl’s Department Store in Brownsville.(Denise Cathey/The Brownsville Herald)
As a cold front dropped temperatures into the 70s, more than 115 chosen students from elementary to high school age in area public schools got the chance to stock up on winter weather clothing with a $100 shopping spree from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Kohl’s Department Store in Brownsville Saturday morning.
This shopping spree is an annual event organized by Communities in Schools of Cameron County (CISCC) as part of their mission to provide resources and support to empower at-risk students to remain in school and achieve in the San Benito, Brownsville, Rio Hondo and Los Fresnos school districts.
Funds for the shopping event come from sponsorships and fundraising efforts throughout the year by CISCC. Executive Director Eva Perez says her organization will spend around $10,000 to help outfit students during this event.
To lend a hand on Saturday, 11 volunteers donated their time from Kohl’s Department Store as part of a company program to give back to the community.
According to Store Executive Manager Jason Olivo, for each hour every volunteer works, $25 goes to CISCC. Olivo says they hope to raise about $600-$700 to help fund the organization and its work.
“It is part of the culture here. It is like conscientious capitalism to give back to the communities that help us provide for our families,” Olivo said.
Events like these serve a real need for at-risk students in the community, Perez explains, as with the pandemic, there is still a gap in what their students require versus what their families might be able to afford when it comes to preparing for the winter season.
“Some of our kids are struggling, especially now with the pandemic, with finances on behalf of their parents. So we provide this shopping spree because we are getting ready for the winter. A lot of our kids don’t have appropriate clothing: like jackets, sweaters or shoes,” Perez said.
Often this lack of clothing is just due to the practicality of living in an environment where temperatures remain hot for much of the year, so families will not already have many jackets or sweaters to hand. So to meet this need, students go through Kohl’s Department Store with their CISCC site coordinator to stock up on whatever clothes they like with just one requirement—their first items must be a pair of good quality shoes and a sweater or jacket.
Perez, who has been with CISCC since 2006, says this requirement came from one of their early donors in the first few years of the event— which specified that their money must be to get each child a jacket and a pair of shoes. As time passed, they decided to keep the requirement as part of the shopping spree.
Additionally, jackets and sweaters are something that Perez, as a former site coordinator herself, knows that her staff spends much of the winter season rushing to source when students are without them.
As for shoes, Perez says this requirement is not just rooted in practicality but serves an additional purpose.“Their parents earn below the poverty line, so we know these kids cannot afford the PUMAs, the Addidas or the Reeboks. Most kids are getting their shoes from Walmart or Payless because that is what the parents can afford.”
So while their classmates might be wearing name-brand shoes—the students CISCC serves might not be. So giving these students a chance to buy something that helps them to feel like they fit in with their peers is essential.
“We want everybody to feel that they are just like everybody else,” Perez said.
To learn more about Communities in Schools of Cameron County or to make a donation, visit: www.ciscameroncounty.org.
