Fifth Graders Present Dance Check to Furniture Assist

Rita's Water Ice on Quimby Street was filled with fifth graders this afternoon, not to eat icy treats but to donate money to charity.

The group gathered to present Furniture Assist, a local charity, with $730 raised during last month's first ever town-wide dance for fifth graders. The dance was coordinated by ItsMyLocker.com, a new social networking site for tweens founded by local resident Jill Brown.

Brown created the dance, attended by over 300 fifth graders from around Westfield, in order to build a sense of community in the town and to teach the students about charity. The dance, which has been described by some fifth graders as "the best night of my life," was designed as a fundraiser for the charity which provides furniture to the needy.

Furniture Assist trustees Michael Chirchella, Tom Connift and Jennifer Scott were on hand to receive the check from Brown, also a trustee of the group, and eleven fifth graders who attended the dance. The students in attendance were buzzing about the ability to help a local charity and of having more dances in the future.

Connift expressed gratitude to the students and hoped they will continue to assist his organization and other non-profit groups in the region. Furniture Assist, which has a high involvement of Westfield residents, collects furniture to distribute on Sundays at a storage facility in Kenilworth. The money raised during the dance will be used to purchase furniture and accessories for the charity.

"The money we take in goes out to help people with furniture," Connift said.