Costume Drive Supports Underprivileged Kids

Barrington middle school students are doing their part to make sure underprivileged kids have a happy Halloween.

Teens for Teens is a non-profit service based organization made up of 8^th graders from Prairie and Station Middle Schools.  Right now, the students are working on collecting Halloween costumes for the less fortunate.  Every costume collected will be donated to Hope Alive! which is an after school program for students in the old Cabrini Green neighborhood of Chicago. 

Teens for Teens Coordinator Melissa Buckley said the group is a great way to introduce service and volunteering to Barrington students.  

"It's a way to teach these kids how to start engaging in service projects and to give them experience working with all types of teens and children," she said. 

Costumes are being collected until Oct. 15.  The next day, students from Hope Alive! will be bussed out to Citizens Park for a Halloween party filled with food, crafts and games.  Children will also browse through the donated costumes and choose one for themselves.  

Buckley said the Teens for Teens students have really enjoyed working with others. 

"Historically, the kids just love it.  They love working with and playing with the kids and getting them excited," she said.  We always have a huge number of kids that want to come."

Between 80 and 100 students from Teens for Teens will be at the Oct. 16 party, and 55 from Hope Alive!  The organization is still in need of costumes for children aged five through 13.  If you'd like to donate, drop off costumes in the boxes located in the Lines Elementary School atrium before Oct. 15.