Even during a tough economy, Prince George’s County residents can still give generously, said Valencia Clipper-Davis, founder of Valuable Blessings. The Capitol Heights-based nonprofit, which focuses on youth mentoring, tutoring, clothing drives and other community services, is conducting a toy drive for Toys for Tots that ends Dec. 22 and collect coats, hats and gloves for the needy until January.
Valuable Blessings typically organizes clothing drives yearlong in addition to toy and food collections during the holidays, said Clipper-Davis, who founded the organization in 2007. This year, however, donations have come in more slowly.
“The economy is so bad people are holding on to what they have,” she said.
What’s more, financial challenges have forced residents from all income levels to request assistance, she said. More than 59 families, for example, have signed up to be recipients of Valuable Blessings’ adopt-a-family program, she said. “It’s almost tripled from this time last year,” Clipper-Davis said. “Within the past few days, we’ve had a lot of people calling in to adopt families and currently we have 10 adopted.”
These families receive baskets that include gift cards for food and toys as well as warm winter clothing.
“Families that reached out last year to help others are now in need themselves this year due to divorce or job loss,” said Clipper-Davis.
Teachers and principals, she added, have called to request donations of school uniforms after noticing the condition of some students’ attire.
Despite the economy, Clipper-Davis challenges county residents to look out for others during the gift-giving season. Those who want to assist the toy drive can do a lot with just $5, she said. Others could donate old electronic game systems such as a Playstation 2 that remain in good condition.
“You never know if you won’t be the one who needs help tomorrow,” said Clipper-Davis. “You would want people to be there for you.”
Clipper-Davis developed Valuable Blessings in response to the 2007 murder of her younger brother, Dwight Smith. Police arrested a 19-year-old suspect in the case, but he was released when no one would testify against him, she said. Her organization seeks to provide free activities to encourage leadership while reducing crime.
One key service is a youth mentoring program for boys and girls between the ages of 7 and 18.
Kelly Biggins of Silver Spring assists five girls with developing a positive image, managing friendships and maintaining good hygiene. Six men and 13 youths participate in the boys’ mentoring program. Although parents assume boys face the greatest challenges, both groups deal with peer pressure and the need for acceptance. “We try to give the young people an outlet,” said Biggins, who began working with the organization about a month ago. “We offer a forum where they can communicate about issues they can’t share with their parents.”
Services such as free reading and math tutoring also fill a needed gap in local households, Barbara Quaye said.
“Unfortunately, some parents aren’t as receptive to taking advantage of services that can help kids deal with these concerns,” said Quaye, a College Park resident who now serves as president of Valuable Blessings. “We’d rather pay for basketball or football camp because that’s what we glorify in our communities.”
With tutoring as well as classes on how to run a business, Valuable Blessings can offer young people a different route to success, Quaye said. “Society has said this is the way to be, but just because you have a Ph.D. doesn’t mean you’re smarter than an entrepreneur,” she said.
As Valuable Blessings continue to serve the community in a difficult economic environment, Quaye maintains her focus on meeting individual needs.
“Even if we reach just one girl, our job is done,” she said. “Even if the girls decide they don’t want to stay involved, they will still gain something they can reflect on later.”
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