Scarves offered to those in cold

Toledo students undertake act of kindness.

The good Samaritans at a local grade school are working to make sure the homeless and others in need are prepared for the harsh Midwest winter.

Colorful scarves were deliberately hung and pinned to shrubs and trees at the Valentine Theatre during a recent morning matinee of the Christmas Carol.

“I am not lost!” a message on tags attached to the scarves reads. “If you are stuck out in the cold, please take this to keep warm!”

The do-gooders responsible for the act of kindness are students of St. Pius X Catholic School in West Toledo. The 18 thirdgraders and 19 fourthgraders were among about 900 children from area schools who attended the performance, an annual tradition at the historic, downtown theater.

The idea to make the scarves available for those who may be in need came from Kathy Polston, the mother of third-grader Isabella Polston.

Deliberately placing scarves, gloves, and hats in public areas is a national trend that Mrs. Polston read about on Facebook about a year ago.

It dawned on her that making scarves available would be a suitable community-service project for her daughter’s school.

“I thought that it was a wonderful idea,” said Mrs. Polston, who is treasurer of the parochial school’s Parents’ Association. “We try to teach the kids about being generous and passionate to others.”

During the summer, Mrs. Polston and her daughter shopped garage sales and thrift stores. They washed the purchased scarves in preparation for giving them away during the upcoming school year.

In the days before the planned field trip to the Valentine, each student was given a scarf and blank tag on which to write the message.

“They were so excited to be helping others,” she said. “They were talking about it in religion classes, and, of course with the Christmas season, Advent, the birth of Christ, and helping others.”

The Valentine Theatre was scouted the day before by Anna Kolin, the mother of Mallory, also a third grader at St. Pius X. While walking past the building, she spotted a homeless man curled up in the doorway of a building across Superior Street.

“I thought it was really sweet,” she said about putting the apparel in the shrubs and trees. “It was the perfect opportunity for children to give back, even with a simple gesture.”