A Great Big Thanks from Mr. Belly Bank

If you shop at Kids Club surely you know our trusty door greater: Mr. Belly Bank!


 He sits right outside our front door, rain or shine. Kids have lots of fun putting coins in his mouth and watching them zig-zag down into his tummy. Did you know that all of the coins collected are donated to local charities? And we match every penny 100%, doubling every donation! About $200 worth of coins are collected from his belly every month! We rotate the charities, picking ones that focus on youth, children and women's causes. 


This month our featured charity is:

 Youth Suicide Prevention Program of Washington. 

Why did we pick this organization? 

Although suicide is a difficult topic to talk about, it is extremely important. With recent cuts in federal and state funding YSPP is finding themselves with a much smaller budget to work with. We are committed to helping them continue critical programs to reach out to youth and parents in need of their services. 

For more info about YSPP and the services that they provide, and to donate, please visit: http://www.yspp.org

Past charities have included; 

Rise N' Shine -- Since 1988, Rise n' Shine, has been providing emotional support programs, stability, advocacy, and AIDS education for children and teens affected by HIV/AIDS.  This includes children and teens who have been orphaned by the disease, children and teens who live with a  parent or other close family member with HIV/AIDS, and those who are infected themselves. For more info and to donate please visit: http://www.risenshine.org

Treehouse -- Offering support and resources for foster families. With the goal of giving foster children a real childhood as well as hope for the future they offer six core programs; Tutoring, Educational Advocacy, College and Career Planning, Little Wishes, Summer Camp, and the Warehouse - where kids can shop several times a year for new and like-new clothing, shoes, school supplies, books, toys, bikes and other essentials to help them feel good and fit in. For more info and to donate please visit: http://www.treehouseforkids.org/

Friends of Youth -- In addition to operating the only overnight youth shelters on the Eastside, FOY offers youth development initiatives, in-home family support for young parents of newborns, parent education, youth and family counseling, substance abuse counseling, thereputic foster care, residential treatment and transitional housing for homeless young people and teen mothers. For more info and to donate please visit: http://www.friendsofyouth.org

We want to give a great big THANKS to everyone that has dropped a coin or two into Mr. Belly Bank over the years and we hope that you will share your spare pocket change with the next time you shop at Kids Club. Together we can help our community, one coin at a time!