Welcome Club Provides School Supplies for Cacciola Children

Children involved in the Westfield Neighborhood Council received a surprise on the eve of the school year Wednesday night, new school supplies.

The Westfield Welcome Club donated table full of new school supplies to the Westfield Neighborhood Council as part of their project to support the work of the WNC. The program kicked off with new school supplies for children involved in the WNC, which serves a variety of residents in town, mainly from the Cacciola neighborhood.

Children and teens flocked to the WNC's Cacciola Place headquarters to pick backpacks, paper, pens, folders and other supplies in preparation of Thursday's first day of the school year. Many of the children have spent the summer as part of the neighborhood council's annual summer camp program.

The Welcome Club, a women's service organization in Westfield, teams up with local charities each year to focus the efforts on one group for a focused period of time. Club officials said the group will focus on raising funds for the WNC, along with projects to better the Cacciola Place building.

The WNC has been rebounding financially in recent years, following a slow period after losing funding from the United Fund of Westfield. The WNC has launched a car show and several small scale street fairs to raise funds for the summer camp and various educational programs.

The Welcome Club's board will be meeting at the WNC Thursday night to discuss plans for the year.