Rotarians Take Needy Kids on Shopping Spree

Like most kids her age, Juana Pulido has a lengthy Christmas list.

However, because her family struggles to scrape together enough money to pay the rent each month, a pair of warm pajamas or maybe a new pair of jeans has priority over such luxury items as Barbies and Nintendo.

Joined by her sisters Donna and Rebecca, Juana was one of 20 kids who were treated to a shopping spree Wednesday at the JCPenney store at The Oaks mall.

“I need some socks, I mean I really need some socks,” a visibly enthusiastic Juana said to her sponsor, Jack Dwyer. “Let’s find those next and then some jeans, but I like the black ones.”

For the past seven years, the Westlake Village Noon Rotarians have volunteered their time and money to spread an increasingly rare commodity--Christmas cheer--to some of the Conejo Valley’s most needy children.

Instead of toys and other such gifts, the Rotarians concentrate the holiday giving on the basics.

Chosen from the several hundred children served by the Interface Children’s Resource Project, the young participants were given $140 to spend on everything from shoes to elastic hair bands.

“It means a lot to be able to do something for these kids that wouldn’t otherwise be done,” said Rotarian Cy Johnson. “I think it’s the best project we’ve got, and we’ve got some good ones.”

And by the looks on their faces, the children seem to agree.

As soon as he entered the store, 12-year-old Keith Hastie gravitated to the puffy, down-filled NFL jackets and chose one emblazoned with a big San Francisco 49ers emblem.

Michael Cahn, an 8-year-old with an eye for fashion, said he needed a necktie to complement a snazzy New Year’s ensemble of black pants and a white shirt. He found a nifty little clip-on.

Marlene Plascencia, a shy 12-year-old who said she didn’t need anything too expensive, found a sugar-white pair of sneakers that made her smile so wide she said her cheeks hurt.

“This is a very special time for them because they come from such difficult environments,” said Martha Torres of the community group Interface, who helped organize the event. “For them, being able to buy a new pair of shoes or a jacket is a big deal, because they never really have the chance to do that.”

Marlene agreed, saying that being able to walk into a store and pick out dozens of new items was something she rarely, if ever, gets to do.

“This is really cool and nice,” she said before bolting toward tables loaded with pants. “I got some stuff I really wanted.”