Cradles to Crayons Receives $10,000 Holiday Donation from Winter, Wyman

Camp Starfish awarded $5,000 for close second-place finish

WALTHAM, MA, November 3, 2009 — Cradles to Crayons, an innovative Quincy-based non-profit organization that equips homeless and in-need children with the basic essentials they need to feel safe, warm, ready to learn and valued received a $10,000 holiday donation from local supporter Winter, Wyman last night.  Cradles to Crayons will use the donation to help replenish their supply of children's pants. 

"This season, due to early cold weather and the country's economic situation, the demand for our services has reached unprecedented levels," said Lynn Margherio, Founder and CEO of Cradles to Crayons.  "Nowhere in our inventory is this more apparent than in the need for children's pants. From children's sizes 5/6 through 12, we are struggling to provide adequate clothing for the homeless and disadvantaged children we serve. Winter, Wyman's donation of $10,000 will allow us to acquire 2,000 pairs of pants. We place two pairs of pants into each KidPack, along with the books, toys, and other warm clothes that children need to safely grow. Winter, Wyman's donation will allow Cradles to Crayons to keep 1,000 local children warm during the harsh New England Winter."

For the third straight year, the employees of Winter, Wyman decided to give children in need the gift of comfort by voting to forgo the company’s annual holiday party and instead donate those funds to a worthwhile cause.  

In a company-wide survey to determine the holiday donation winner, Cradles to Crayons was chosen by one vote over Camp Starfish, a residential summer and year-round program for children with severe emotional, behavioral, learning and social disorders.  Because the vote was so close, Winter, Wyman awarded Camp Starfish an unexpected $5,000 holiday donation.

“I am extremely proud of our employees and their commitment to community service,” said Bob Boudreau, CEO of Winter, Wyman. “There's no better way to celebrate the holidays as a company than by helping others, and Cradles to Crayons and Camp Starfish are two extremely worthwhile organizations through which we can do some good.”

For more information about this release, contact Elizabeth Spayne at 781-530-3191 or espayne@winterwyman.com.

About Cradles to Crayons 
Founded in 2002, Cradles to Crayons (C2C) is an innovative Quincy-based non-profit organization that equips homeless and in-need children with the basic essentials they need to feel safe, warm, ready to learn and valued. While meeting the immediate needs of low-income children, C2C also sets a foundation for lasting change by providing meaningful, tangible volunteer opportunities to thousands of individuals and hundreds of organizations each year. For more information on Cradles to Crayons, visit www.cradlestocrayons.org.

About Camp Starfish
Camp Starfish is a residential summer and year-round program for children with severe emotional, behavioral, learning and social disorders. Many of their campers have never before successfully participated in an extracurricular activity, sport or summer program. As the only New England overnight summer camp to offer a one-to-one camper-to-counselor ratio, Starfish provides children with a highly structured, nurturing and supportive environment in which they can safely test their limits and build their self-esteem. To learn more about Camp Starfish, visit www.campstarfish.org.  

About Winter, Wyman
Winter, Wyman, a leading staffing firm for more than 35 years, is one of the largest and most recognized staffing organizations in the Northeast. We specialize in permanent, contract and contract-to-perm staffing in Accounting & Finance, Human Resources, Information Technology, Investments & Financial Services and Software Technology. Headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts, we service the New England and Metropolitan New York markets with additional technology contracting capabilities nationwide. 

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