By Zara Samdani, Co-T/E Life Editor
Sorting through heaps of gently-used clothes, seniors and twin sisters Avery and Devin Krebs mobilize at The Giving Factory in Philadelpia. One item goes in the “10-12-year-old dresses” pile, the other goes in the “6-7-year-old boots” pile and a third goes into the “diapers” pile. The vast, tin-roofed warehouse does not intimidate them, as they spent this past summer sorting clothes, school supplies, shoes and other needed items for underprivileged children through Cradles to Crayons.
Cradles to Crayons is a nonprofit organization that supports children from low-income backgrounds. Through a formulated process, volunteers donate necessities, including coats, diapers, shoes, socks, backpacks and pencils. Then they package and directly deliver the items.
“We have a team that is specifically focused on engaging the community to bring items and donations in. And then in the headquarters, we also have another team that’s just dedicated to recruiting volunteers,” said Katherine Hobson, the outreach director of Cradles to Crayons Philadelphia. “We also will lead the volunteers to make sure they have a great time and kind of want to stay in touch and help us further our mission.”
Since its inception in Boston in 2002, the organization has branched to multiple cities along the East Coast. The Philadelphia chapter has served more than 3 million children from low-income backgrounds and mobilized more than 500,000 community volunteers — including the Krebs sisters.
Already long-time volunteers for the organization, the sisters assumed a greater role through the Teen Leadership Program.
Through a selective application process, the program, which Cradles to Crayons organizes, invites 55 teenagers to a year-long training. Accepted teens serve as ambassadors for Cradles to Crayons and must fulfill certain requirements.
“Starting a club is one of the goals they want us to pursue,” Avery Krebs said. “So we thought, well, obviously, we really like the organization, so (starting a club) is just a good way to further our commitment.”
After acceptance, both sisters took part in a customized, one-week training program taught by Cradles to Crayons executives. During this program, they developed new skills such as team building, public speaking and service.
“Working within the organization was definitely a step outside of both of our comfort zones. By the end of training, you’re expected to be able to lead a volunteer shift because (you) basically work for this organization now,” Devin Krebs said. “We really had to work on our public speaking skills, be able to lead groups of people that we didn’t know and give them information in a way that’s clear. It was definitely a shift.”
As ambassadors, the girls are required to raise $500 for the organization, host school-supply drives and volunteer at the factory for 11 shifts during the year. Currently, both sisters are in the process of creating a chapter at Conestoga.
“When we decided that we wanted to start a club, we were like, ‘Why don’t we just do it together?’ It would be easy. We work well together. We’re with each other all the time,” Devin Krebs said. “It’s a good opportunity for us to work on something we’re both passionate for.”
Zara Samdani can be reached at [email protected].
