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by Dawn Marks –
Thousands of youth service groups participated in clothing drives for the Adult Rehabilitation Centers this year. In February and March, approximately 100 tons of clothing were collected by Girl Scouts and other service groups in Orange County, San Diego and Seattle in annual Good Turn clothing drives to benefit local area ARCs.
Parents and troop leaders took part in kickoff events before the clothing collection with visits to their local ARC for a hearty pancake breakfast and tour of the facilities. This provided a chance to see the enormous warehouse operations where donated items are recycled and to hear personal testimonies from beneficiaries in recovery.
Many businesses in Orange County and San Diego joined in the effort this year by conducting in-house clothing drives in conjunction with this project. Sponsorships from the Orange County Register and San Diego Gas and Electric helped encourage local public support for the effort. In Seattle, special exhibits by the Police and Fire Departments at the kickoff event added another chance to educate the public.
At the Anaheim and San Diego Centers, the local area Girl Scout Councils have adopted the Good Turn Clothing Drive exclusively as their major annual service project. In Seattle, eight youth service groups, including the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, join forces each year.
“The success of the Good Turn Clothing Drive is the result of the combined efforts of thousands of youths, parents, service leaders, volunteers, area residents and businesses who respond to the call of service to support their local Adult Rehabilitation Center (ARC). We greatly appreciate this tremendous display of community support for the ARC program,” said Major Dan Starrett, ARC Commander.