Congratulations to Leah Gabler-Marshall and the Junior League of Topeka Sustainers. Leah was the winner of a contest held at Kirk & Cobb this holiday season where the coveted prize was a $250 donation to a charitable cause.
The contest was simple. Kirk & Cobb staff and associates were encouraged to identify a need in the community and get involved. The only catch was it was to be a cause with which they weren’t normally involved. Participants were then asked to present a written or oral narrative of their experience to Steve Kirk.
Although all of the entries were worthy causes, it was Leah’s account of a recent project carried out by Junior League of Topeka Sustainers that pulled at Steve’s heart strings the hardest. “…I followed the discussion up with a suggestion that we could talk with schools where students needed hats, gloves, mittens, etc. and collect those in the few weeks until the Christmas vacation. Everyone agreed at the committee meeting, and I was given the task of finding a deserving school,” said Leah in her 3-page written report to Steve.
After careful consideration, Leah and the Sustainers agreed on which elementary school would receive the collected items. In the first week of December, collection boxes were positioned in various places across Topeka, and the campaign was under way. “We picked up the donations on December 19. After sorting and sizing, we had 61 gloves/mittens, 41 hats, 4 scarves, and 21 hat/glove sets,” said Leah. The items were delivered to a very gracious principal on Tuesday, December 20.
”I know for a fact that $250 would be the most appreciated additional gift we could offer as a great surprise. To think that some kids don’t have something as simple as a pair of gloves really brought the true meaning of the season home to me,” said Leah.
