PTA groups clothe community

May 28, 2011 at 12:00a.m.

By SARAH FOOR

Usually, the PTAs of the Austintown school district are busy working on activities and events at their own schools. However, the schools worked together in the collective Austintown Council of PTAs to sponsor a clothing drive for needy students and their families.

PTAs of the district’s four elementary schools, two intermediate schools and high school all worked together for the clothing giveaway at Austintown Middle School on April 30. The event was co-chaired by Fitch PTSA president Dianne Eyster and AMS president Laurie Gartland.

“We all have our own events going on, but our PTAs are proud to come together for the good of the community,” Gartland shared the morning of the clothing drive. “We welcomed about 100 people today, many with younger students, and they were free to take anything that they needed.”

The event originally began four years ago and has since expanded from only Austintown students to any needy family in the community. This year’s clothing drive began collecting goods for the event over Easter, and provided gently-used clothes and Falcons gear for Austintown students of any age.

Any clothes remaining from the drive were sent to the Rescue Mission of the Mahoning Valley.

“The Council of PTAs is happy to support events like our clothing drive. Our work is minimal in comparison to the amount of good it does for our community.”