Day 12: New York State Of Mind
“New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made of. There’s nothin’ you can’t do, now you’re in New York.”
We were definitely feeling the love as we arrived at our stop number twelve: New York.
Now it may be the concrete jungle but we found our way around and make some smiles happen. Now getting to New York wasn’t the easiest of journeys. Getting anywhere with a 24-foot trailer isn’t easy, but when you add hundreds of bridges, skyscrapers, cars, and people is a recipe for disaster. As we are trying to navigate around without causing any major accidents we get onto the turnpike. Well our California selves did not realize that there are no commercial vehicles or trailers on the turnpike. It wasn’t until two minutes later did we see the flashing lights and no not the cool ones Kanye West sings about but the ones that usually end up costing a pretty penny.
So, yes a New York cop pulled us over and explained to us the rules of the turnpike. Not only is it the law but also there are bridges we would not be able to fit under. Thankfully he let us off with a warning and guided us off the freeway. After a few extra hours of navigating we finally found a hotel to fit our trailer. The next day we actually got the full day off and were able to explore the “Big Apple”. We had fun navigating the subway, eating pizza, and taking tourist pictures.
Our event was a huge success and we had boys come from all over the New York area to pick out their own back to school clothes. We want to thank St. Anthony’s High School for letting us hold it in their parking lot, the perfect location for our event. The boys were awesome and loved their new gear. Most of them thankful that they were fashion friendly attire not just hand-me-downs
According to NRF’s 2013 Back-to-School Survey conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics, families with school-age children will spend an average $634.78 on apparel, shoes, supplies and electronics, down from $688.62 last year. The biggest portion of back-to-school shoppers’ budgets go toward new apparel and accessories. 95.3 percent of those with school-age children will spend an average of $230.85 on fall sweaters, denim and other chic pieces of attire. Additionally, families will spend on shoes ($114.39) and school supplies ($90.49).
A typical allowance for children in foster care ranges from $50 to $200 for back to school supplies. If youth in foster care are lucky enough to get the full $200, that is still only 29.04% of what the average kid spends on school clothes. As young people ourselves, clothes play a huge part in our self-esteem which affects how we perform in school. We knew we needed to do something for these teens that already have been through so much. This week is are thankful for our clothing sponsors Active, Ambig, Cotton On, and Jockey. They not only gave us clothes, but clothes that we feel good about giving. It is a special feeling to the see the teens actually excited to pick out their own brand new clothes.
