Attorney Andrea Young Tours Her Elementary School’s Outreach Programs

Attorney Andrea Young is an alumna of Larchmont Elementary School. She grew up on Cribb
Street and attended the school from kindergarten through 6th grade during the 1990s. She
recently returned to the site of her old elementary school to find it rebuilt.

Andrea says she is “Overjoyed that Boyk Law is helping the families at Larchmont.
As a graduate from Toledo Public Schools, I think it’s important to give back to the
youth in our community. Larchmont will always have a place in my heart, and I hope
that what Boyk Law is doing will have a positive impact on the youth in that school.
During her tour, she discovered the “Comfort Closet”, another innovative
program designed to help Larchmont students and their families.

School Counselor Jessica Kronovich guided her to a converted locker room and that houses a collection of donated and slightly used clothing for students and
needy families. “This is our Comfort Closet. It has been open for about two years now, and we are always accepting donations. We have everything in here, from
shirts, shoes, underwear, a variety of different clothing.” School Psychologist, Sarah Darrow, explained that the program utilizes “Volunteers from our
Parent-Teacher Organization that help organize the clothing into different lockers based on the sizes and the different items that we have.”

Larchmont families are invited to visit the Comfort Closet for everything from new socks or underwear to gently used shirts and pants. “We try to get a wide range of
items so that if anyone is in need of something, then we have it. From baby items to adult clothing that might help with a job interview,” says Darrow.

The Comfort Closet is invaluable when the weather turns colder. Students can find coats, gloves, and hats when the temperatures drop. “We always need gloves and hats.
Gloves and hats are huge for us,” says Jessica.

“During the wintertime, a lot of our students don’t have coats, hats, gloves, and those are some of the number one things that are requested,” says Sarah Darrow. “A
lot of times we’ll just see students coming with nothing on, or they’ll go out to recess, and we don’t want them to be cold, so sometimes we have to keep them in for
recess when they could really use some fresh air, and the comfort closet, providing some of those things is so beneficial for the kids.”

“When people who aren’t TPS, parents who ask, “Why does TPS close when it gets really cold out? It’s because a lot of our students walk to school and they don’t have
the proper clothes to wear, and they need these items,” explained Jessica.

If you want to donate new or gently used clothing, contact Larchmont Elementary School or drop the donation at Charles Boyk Law’s Holland Office.