ta. Cyihy gf agigtt TP al if Innovative lloy assists fa EVERY SO often, we're reminded of just how lucky most of us are. Like when we go through our closet and weed out the clothes we don't want anymore, just because we're tired of them. Like when we can’t keep our kids’ roums neat because there are too many toys and not enough space to put them away properly. Like when some functional nousehold article, be it a couch, carpet or coffee table, ends up in the attic or at the waste transfer jration because it’s no longer sty- ish, It's at times like that we feel a stabbing pang of regret, a wish that you could somehow get your household cast-offs into the hands of someone who could really use them, And appreciate them, more than we can, We do what’s convenient. We will bundle clothes up for the Salvation Army or the Cana- dian Mental Health Association, but many other articles get thrown in the garbage after you’ve gone through the cursory process of asking a few acquaintances if they would have any use for the items. Then we forget all about our momentary feelings of guilt, and life resumes as normal — till the next time. For Bill and Rita Conroy, life never did get back to normal once they decided there was a way for people with too much to help people who had too little. Back in the early 1970s, the couple — who lived in West Van- couver for two decades until a move to New Westminster - five years ago —— started collecting, restoring, and distributing clothing to the people who needed it most. In the mid-’80s, they started distributing used toys that they had lovingly reconditioned to near-newness. Now, they operate a used fur- niture registry as well, and are considering distributing secund- ECO INFO hand computer equipment to stu- dents in needy families. It’s called the Toy Bank, and it is truly a success story — thanks to the vision and enthusiasm of Rita and Bil! Conroy and their hard-working volunteers. How hard-working are they? Rita and her daughter took last Monday off — and it was their first day off since New Year’s Day, Her son, she says, has a videc of the family celebrating New Year’s together, and Rita and daughter Sharon Thomas are asleep at the dining room table. Nor are these ordinary nine- to-five days we're talking about. Rita and Sharon’s typical work- ing days are at feast 16 hours long — all volunteer. Rita and ‘Bill’s son John comes in every night and every Saturday, while son Bruce comes in most Saturdays, and two nights a week — all volunteer. What’s so time-consuming for this family, and other Toy Bank volunteers? It’s making the effort that is required to make Toy Bank clients feel like they are being treated with dignity and giving them the Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue — there's something for everyone in this Wedding feature. Helpful tips on planning a wedding, arranging the reception and enjoying the honeymoon as well as a helpful directory of the businesses and services you'll need during each step. Whether you've already set the date, or are still discussing it, this Wedding feature is the best place for a Beautiful Beginning. eel Kikertediabonsckot SUNDAY, MARCH 28 Bil ues | in need personalized attention that helps them regain their feeling of self worth. Translated, that means giving kids toys that have been fixed un- til they really are as good as new, recreating missing puzzle pieces, and sewing new dresses for dolls whiose original wardrobe has got- ten shabby. it means constructing new packaging for those toys, so that the kids have a new box to open, one that makes the gift really a aitt and not someone else’s cast- of It means helping a mother re- entering the workforce choose and coordinate a new outfit from the Toy Bank’s racks, so that shell feel more confident at her inter- view or during her first week on the job, Sometimes it means delivering an infant car seat to a hospital, so the mom and dad who haven't been able to afford their own car seat can take their new baby home safely. Families who are helped by the Toy Bank — there were 400 of them from Dec. 8 to Dec. 24 last year --- are first interviewed by a volunteer “‘teller’’? (the Toy Bank was given real tellers’ wickets by a credit union that was renovating). 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