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A new thrift shop, called Ditto

ditto

upscale resale

At the Annual Association meeting of Eastern Christian School held Wednesday, February 24th, it was announced that the Foundation for Eastern Christian School will be opening a new and larger thrift store under the name of Ditto later this summer. Details of this new venture are outlined below in the form of Questions and Answers.

• Q. What is ditto?
• Q. Why the name ditto?
• Q. So it's like the Corner Closet we used to operate?
• Q. Such as?
• Q. What else?
• Q. In what other ways will ditto be different.
• Q. What hours will ditto be open?
• Q. Who will operate ditto?
• Q. Have you found that person?
• Q. But this will still be volunteer staffed, correct?
• Q. How many volunteers will ditto require?
• Q. Will you need volunteers before the store opens?
• Q. Where will ditto be located?
• Q. What happens next?
• Q. When will ditto open?

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Q. What is ditto?

A. ditto is the name of a new and different store that The Foundation for Eastern Christian will soon be launching. Sales generated by ditto will directly benefit Eastern Christian Schools, their families and the local communities as well.

Q. Why the name ditto?

A. ditto, in it's informal use, is defined as: "to indicate that something already said is applicable a second time". (Oxford American Dictionary)

While visiting some very successful thrift stores in Michigan we were very favorably impressed with a store called ditto in Holland, Mi. We loved their store concept and we liked the name so we asked for, and graciously received, their permission to use it for our store.

Q. So it's like the Corner Closet we used to operate?

A. Some similarities, but very different.

Q. Such as?

A. ditto will not be a consignment shop. All items sold in our store will be donated.

Q. What else?

A. Well, you'll notice under the ditto name it says upscale resale. The inventory we sell will be quality merchandise in good condition, appropriate for the season, and priced to sell.

We will accept only those donations which are clean, in good condition and ready for resale. For example we will not be able to accept any clothing with missing buttons, broken zippers, or with holes, tears or stained. We also will not accept items smelling smoky, of mothballs or musty. Clothing is just one example, a list of what types of donations we will and will not be able to accept will be coming out later in the spring.

It is our hope that anyone donating articles won't just be donors but will enjoy shopping with us as well. Having quality donations that are only gently worn or used, sold at prices far below any retail store will hopefully ensure a unique and very rewarding shopping experience. After all, everyone likes a good deal!

Q. In what other ways will ditto be different.

At 11,000 square feet you'll find our new store to be almost 4 times larger than the Corner Closet. This will allow for larger inventory as well as expanded categories of merchandise such as some appliances, limited furniture, and sporting goods and recreational items, displayed and available for sale. There will be a convenient drive up area for donors to drop-off donations during designated hours. Receipts for accepted donations will be available during regular hours. We will also have sorting/processing areas for donations.

• ditto will be computerized, accept major credit cards and will have it's own website.
• We hope to be able before too long, to offer limited pick-up and delivery of large items purchased or donated. Although not available from the beginning, it is a goal in the foreseeable future.

Q. What hours will ditto be open?

A. Our plans call for ditto to be open year-round (except major holidays), including summer months. We are planning on 6 days a week, Monday through Saturday.Though subject to adjustment, we plan to be open Monday through Friday from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm, Saturday's 9:00 am to 3:00 pm.

Q. Who will operate ditto?

A. ditto will operate as an extension of the Foundation for Eastern Christian School, a 501(C)3 non-profit organization. It will have it's own Board of Directors and a full-time Director to handle the daily responsibilities associated with actually operating a retail store of this scale.

Q. Have you found that person?

A. The Foundation interviewed and hired Mr. Eric Hawn who is a former EC parent. Eric has a very impressive resume in the retail store field and was part of the team that first went to Michigan to visit stores. Eric also serves in church ministry and has experience working in a Christian non-profit organization. He and his wife Linda live in the area and have four grown children. We are excited that a person of this caliber was interested in the position and again, we clearly saw providence in this process.

Q. But this will still be volunteer staffed, correct?

A. You better believe it! We depend on our volunteers, they are our lifeblood! In the past, the Corner Closet, or any other ministry for the matter, couldn't function without servant hearts that so eagerly and joyfully lend a hand.

Q. How many volunteers will ditto require?

A. Due to the larger space and longer operating hours our needs will be greater as well. We will need a wide range of men and women volunteers throughout the day. We will also need those who would volunteer through our closing hours. We do hope, through arrangement with EC High School to supplement those volunteers with student assistance.

We will be reaching out in the next few months to our former volunteers as well as recruiting potential new volunteers who are ready and able to assist us. Frequency of serving and specific hours of service will be worked out to suit each individual's needs and circumstances.

Q. Will you need volunteers before the store opens?

A. Absolutely, we will! As our renovations near completion we will require help setting up racks, shelves and counters as well as actually receiving and sorting donations, preparing to put them on the selling floor. We will also need a few talented volunteers who are experienced at skillfully "renewing" any donated furniture that might need a slight "touch up", others to test any electrically operated donations as well as those with mechanical skills. A list of specific needs will be addressed in the near future.

In short, there will be lots of other opportunities for serving that will be identified, some right up through the opening process as well.

Q. Where will ditto be located?

A. ditto will be located in North Haledon, at 865 Belmont Ave. just north of Overlook Ave. Our location and building will provide easy access, abundant parking, and great street exposure. The expansive storefront with 9,000 square feet of selling space and 2,000 square feet of processing and storage space are almost ideal for our needs. Added to a number of other factors, it seemed clear that providence had provided this location.

Q. What happens next?

A. This spring, we will begin an extensive renovation to the site of our new store to prepare it for an upscale retail store.

Q. When will ditto open?

A. Our hope is to have the store ready to open for business early to mid August with fall merchandise. In advance of the opening we will aggressively advertise the opening date; we'll have it on EC's website, advertise in local newspapers, in school bulletins, church bulletins, and on ditto's own website which we will be developing and via any other means that we can identify.

How you can help...

First and foremost, pray for us as we go through this process. This is vital and will be greatly appreciated.

Also, please understand that we are not currently able to accept/hold ANY merchandise donations. We will use numerous avenues to advise when we are prepared to start accepting merchandise donations, as well as notifying what items we will/and will not be able to accept. We greatly appreciate your understanding and enthusiastic support as we undertake this exciting new venture.

In addition to the many questions we have tried to answer, we're sure there will be more. Please hold your questions until after we start construction and firm up dates. We will then update our information. For questions re: ditto requiring immediate response, you may call the Eastern Christian Foundation office at 973.427.9294.

Reading for a Cause

Welcome to Eastern Christian Elementary School!

Reading for a Cause

BY MISS BAITZEL & MISS HULSEBOS

This year the students at Eastern Christian Elementary School have been getting to know God with their heads, learning to love Him more deeply in their hearts, and seeking opportunities to serve Him with their hands. The recent news of the earthquake in Haiti provided the second grade students one such opportunity to serve God with their hands. Beginning shortly after the earthquake, the second grade students started praying for the earthquake victims in Haiti. During our prayer times, we have been praying for God to meet the physical and spiritual needs of the Haitian people, and asking Him to show us how we can help. Sure enough, God answered our prayer and revealed a way to get involved.

On Tuesday, January 26, Nancy Powers from Bethany Christian Services was invited to speak with the second grade students. Nancy spoke with the students about Bethany's two orphanages in Haiti, the impact of the earthquake, and the needs of the children.

Following the presentation, the second grade students were presented with a way they could help Haiti. That same day we kicked off a week long read-a-thon (beginning at 3:00 PM on Tuesday, January 26 and ending at 8:20 AM on Tuesday, February 2). The read-a-thon required children to work and sacrifice. Despite this, the second grade students showed great interest in choosing to read for the sake of Christ during times when they would typically play a video game, watch TV, or play outside.

However, the second graders were not the only ones involved in this effort to help Haiti. Local businesses were asked to join us by sponsoring our read-a-thon. Several businesses answered the call – including Visbeen Construction, Reiner Group, Inc., Capstone Advisory Group, V&S Floor Covering, Novartis, and Urdang and Company. These businesses pledged various amounts of money that were based on how many pages the second grade students read as a collective group in one week. In addition, many friends and family members of second graders chose to donate to the cause. We are extremely grateful to these businesses and individuals for their interest in encouraging young people to make a difference in Jesus' name.

After a week of reading around the clock, we are pleased to report that the second graders have read over 10,000 pages! They far surpassed their highest goal of 2,000 pages. As a result, they earned nearly $4,000 for the Bethany Christian Services orphanages in Haiti.

On Thursday, February 4, we concluded our Read-a-Thon project with a celebration in the gym. Nancy Powers joined us again, along with second grade parents, and many of the business people and individuals who supported us financially. It was a time of celebrating the second graders' hard work, thanking God for the privilege to serve Him, and a prayer time for the people of Haiti. It was a God-filled time of worship. The read-a-thon was an awesome opportunity for all who were involved, and a true testament to God's provision and faithfulness.

ECMS Wax Museum

Welcome to Eastern Christian Middle School! Many creative cross-curriculum events that promote the love of learning in all subject areas continually take place on our campus. Once such event, the Fifth Grade Wax Museum, was held on January 21. This museum was based on students' biography research projects completed in writing workshop and science over the second quarter. Students were asked to research an important scientist or inventor and write a biography report about him or her. For the museum, students stood on platforms around the perimeter of the gym and when prompted, recited a brief, detailed speech from the point of view of the person they researched. Many visitors came to the event, including parents, grandparents, and other ECMS students. The fifth graders invested a lot of time and hard work into their research and were able to proudly share their knowledge through this event!

Atlantic Stewardship Tithing Program

Eastern Christian School Association (ECSA) received a $40,000.00 check from Atlantic Stewardship Bank (ASB) at the January meeting of the ECSA Board. Pictured L to R, ECSA Directors Cheryl Schipper, Ben Spoelstra, Krystyn Boonstra, Scott Martin; ASB Directors Michael Westra, John Steen; ECSA Foundation Executive Director Garret Nieuwenhuis, ECSA Head of School Thomas Dykhouse; ASB Board Chairman William Hanse; ECSA President Nicholas Kuiken; ECSA Directors Richard Kuder, Roy Bushoven, George Schaaf, Mark Wisse.

Eastern Christian School Receives $40,000.00 from Atlantic Stewardship Bank

At a recent meeting of the Board of Directors of Eastern Christian School Association (ECSA), representatives of Atlantic Stewardship Bank (ASB) presented the school with a donation of $40,000.00. This donation is part of the ASB Tithing Program whereby ASB tithes or shares ten percent of its pre-taxable income with Christian and non-profit organizations selected by their Board of Directors. Eastern Christian School has been a recipient of a portion of this tithe for over 20 years and has received over $600,000.00. Over $7,000,000.00 has been given by ASB under its tithing program since its inception. This past year they shared $619,000.00 with 340 deserving organizations.

In accepting the gift, Eastern Christian's Head of School, Thomas Dykhouse expressed deep appreciation for this generous gift which will be used to provide scholarship assistance to students from qualifying families.

Founded in 1892, Eastern Christian School Association is a parent controlled school providing Christ centered education to over 750 students each year at three locations in Bergen and Passaic Counties. ECSA students come from over 40 communities and 140 different Christian Churches. The student body represents a rich tapestry of ethnic backgrounds including African American, Asian, and Hispanic-Latino. Over 95 % of ECSA graduates attend schools of higher learning in the US and abroad.

Atlantic Stewardship Bank, a subsidiary of Stewardship Financial Corporation, maintains banking locations in Hawthorne, Midland Park, Montville, North Haledon, Pequannock, Ridgewood, Waldwick, Wayne, Westwood and Wyckoff. Established in 1985, ASB is a full-service community bank serving both individuals and businesses.

The bank is a subsidiary of Stewardship Financial Corporation trading on the NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbol SSFN. The bank's website is www.asbnow.com.