Charities to outfit students for school

Lolita Harper

COSTA MESA -- When the sun is still shining and the beach isn’t more

than five miles away, it is hard to get any child excited about going

back to school.

But when that child is worried about being able to afford the required

school supplies, it makes it that much more difficult.

“Imagine being in math class where you are required to have a

calculator and having to explain to the teacher -- in front of the entire

class -- that your family doesn’t have enough money to buy one,” said

Share Our Selves Director of Development Karen Harrington.

To prevent kids from situations such as that, Share Our Selves will

host its annual back-to-school event today. Volunteers will give out

nearly 400 backpacks to school-age children.

Longtime volunteer Terry Madden, along with an army of residents, have

gathered and packaged school supplies such as crayons, markers, pencils,

binders, notebook paper and calculators for needy families. Because of

strong community response, the charity will also have enough supplies to

donate for the next two weeks, Harrington said.

The organization, teaming up with Save Our Youth and Families of Costa

Mesa, is aiming to put underprivileged children on more of a level

playing field. Harrington estimates the backpacks can help some families

save nearly $50.

“When you are looking at a working-class family, they are working hard

just to make rent and utilities and put food on the table,” she said.

“Saving that amount of money could buy a week’s worth of groceries.”

Share Our Selves and other neighborhood charities have come under

attack recently for acting as magnets for poor and immigrant families.

Councilman Chris Steel has blamed the charities for filling Costa Mesa

schools with Spanish-speaking children and causing a drop in test scores.

“Schools have to teach illegal immigrants, but the council doesn’t

have to allow for the biggest charity in Orange County to stay here and

attract more poverty,” Steel said.

But Harrington says people such as Steel are out of touch with the

community, calling those kinds of views myopic. The outpouring of

community support for this project alone proves the community is

sympathetic of their neighbors’ plight, regardless of their skin color or

economic class, Harrington said.

“The people we aim to help are just like the rest of us who want to

raise a nice family and have their kids get a good education,” Harrington

said.