Charity Drive Begins With Screening for Needy Kids

Hundreds of Compton youngsters were treated to an early holiday celebration Thursday morning, as part of the kickoff to a local charity’s campaign to buy new coats and shoes for needy children.

Maybe it was more of a wet Christmas than a white one, but the 750 students representing 30 Compton schools beamed and giggled as they got off the buses that took them to the AMC 20 Theater in Norwalk.

The kids were all guests of a special preview screening of “Jingle All the Way,” a movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sinbad, about two dads trying to buy a hot-selling toy on Christmas eve.

Each child was also given hot dogs, popcorn and a soda. “Free food” was one of the best parts of the field trip, said Michael Norris, 10, a student at Martin Luther King Elementary School. “The movie, too,” Michael added, “because we saw it before everybody else.”

Many of the children at the special screening belong to families that are homeless or in transition, said Betty Randall, coordinator of homeless education at Compton Unified School District.

Randall says such children often will show up to school dressed inappropriately for the weather or wearing shoes that are too small because their parents cannot afford to buy them clothing.

To provide such youngsters with new clothing, the Variety Club, a children’s charity, has started a drive called “Operation Coats and Shoes: Putting a Face on Poverty.” The charity’s goal this year is to be able to give a new coat and pair of shoes to 2,000 Compton children.

Variety Club President Maureen Arthur-Ruben is working on convincing clothing companies to donate items through her nonprofit group.

Information about Operation Coats and Shoes: (213) 655-1547.