Helping parents clothe their children is a CCSCC goal

By Christine Bordelon
Clarion Herald

For the past 60 years, members of the Council of Catholic School Cooperative Clubs (CCSCC) – the umbrella parents’ group for Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of New Orleans – have collected money and bought clothing for children under age 12 who participate in programs through Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans.


On March 23, CCSCC volunteers in the “Clothe-A-Child” program filled shopping baskets with clothing for approximately 124 children participating in Catholic Charities’ Bridges to Self-Sufficiency, Bethlehem Housing and the Incarnate Word Head Start programs.

The clothing, bought with approximately $7,000 in donations collected from local Catholic schools, was wrapped and sent to each program to distribute. Shoppers were instructed to spend approximately $50 a child.

“It’s a service project we can do collectively with all our clubs to let our Catholic students know there are people out there needing help,” said Judith Nussbaum, CCSCC president, who noted that the program attracts wide participation among members, second only to the annual Christmas luncheon which has been postponed the past two years due to COVID-19.


While the annual clothing drive is usually conducted in time for Christmas, the pandemic and then Hurricane Ida pushed this year’s effort into the Lenten season.

“Everybody’s trying to get back into the swing of things,” Nussbaum said.

“It’s nice for the children to have more clothes and help them feel better,” said Nicole Weishaupt, who was shopping as a volunteer alongside her mom, Pam Kappler. Both are St. Edward the Confessor parishioners in Metairie.

Weishaupt has one child in pre-K2 and is expecting another in June. She is grateful to be able to provide what her child needs and said if she had been the beneficiary of such kindness from others, she would be humbled by the gesture.

CCSCC members feel helping families raise their children is important.


Christy Dillard, representing St. Ann, was elated to shop for girls since she has two boys – one at St. Ann and another at Brother Martin – and knows what a safety net Clothe-A-Child has been to so many families over the years. Her parents’ club collected money for Clothe-A-Child at its monthly meeting.

“These kids don’t have things,” she said of the recipients. “Their parents want to give them new clothing, but oftentimes can’t. … It’s the giving that I enjoy, even though I don’t get to see the kids and their reaction of joy when they open the gift.”

Long-time commitment
Helping children in need aligns with the CCSCC’s ministry focusing on family, love of God, education and activities where members get to know each other.

Depending on the need and the money raised by its member schools – some hold fundraisers, even among students – the CCSCC sometimes can shop both in the fall before Christmas and before Easter, Nussbaum said. During the recent shopping spree, the CCSCC received additional donations of more than $300 from shoppers in the store.

Past CCSCC president Cindy Wooderson recalled when her mother Dottie Schule was president of the CCSCC in the late 1970s, the Clothe-A-Child program initially provided new clothes for Catholic Charities’ Independent Living Skills Program (ISLP), which helped children and young adults in foster care. For years, CCSCC volunteers shopped at K mart. When the retailer closed its big-box locations here, the switch was made to Walmart.

Parents are grateful
Petrina Balser, a family advocate at Incarnate Word Head Start program, said parents of the 5-year-olds in the program sometimes use the fancy new clothes for their child’s graduation/transition ceremony.

“My girls and I will be forever grateful for all the (Head Start) program has done for us,” parent Z. James said. “The clothes were always given at the right time, Christmas or Easter, and such beautiful clothes, too. Thank you all so much. May God continue to bless the ones who give to help the children in need.”

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