Community Calendar

Upcoming Valley area community events. If you have an event you would like tell us about, e-mail our Public Service Department. Requests should be submitted two weeks in advance of event.

NEWSCHANNEL 5 is proud to participate in a number of community projects throughout the year.
Some of them include:

Teach The Children
Funds are raised to furnish new clothing and school supplies for needy children entering the first grade. Enlisting the aid of various businesses and individuals to hold fundraising events, NEWSCHANNEL 5 works hand-in-hand with each sponsor to realize success, producing on-air promotions and participating in the events themselves. Each year the program is finalized with a telethon where sponsors are thanked and additional monies are raised by phone in donations. To date more than $1.7 million has been raised assisting more than 70,000 children. For information on how an organization or business can hold a fund-raising event to benefit Teach The Children contact Jerry Lee Berg at 956-968-5555 ext. 5505.

Tim's Coats
For more than 20 years, Chief Meteorologist Tim Smith and NEWSCHANNEL 5, in conjunction with the Southwest Dry Cleaners Association, have collected more than 60,000 coats. The coats are distributed to the needy through Catholic Social Services and Salvation Army.

BROWNSVILLE	Bates Cleaners 55 Calle Retama Comet 1 Hour Cleaners 2935 Central Blvd. 2120 E. Price Road
HARLINGEN	Comet 1 Hour Cleaners 521 E. Harrison White Cleaners 221 W. Harrison 817 N. 77 Sunshine Strip Salvation Army 119 E. Monroe
PHARR	D & M Cleaners 129 W. Park
EDINBURG	D & M Cleaners 701 S. Closner
McALLEN	D & M Cleaners 5103 N. 10th Fiesta Cleaners 2608 N. 10th 2000 S. McColl Road Palace Cleaners N. 10th & Walnut S. 10th & Jackson N. 10th & Dove Salvation Army 1600 N. 23rd
SAN JUAN	Catholic Charities 400 N. Nebraska
WESLACO	NEWSCHANNEL 5 901 E. Expressway 83
MISSION	Quality Cleaners 4001 S. Shary Rd.

Sharing Basket
Need is great in this community and NEWSCHANNEL 5 recognizes that we cannot solve all problems. However, it is within our power to make the holiday season bright and fruitful for many of our needy neighbors. With this in mind, NEWSCHANNEL 5 initiated the sharing basket in 1983. Every year since that time we have had successful campaigns to collect donations of food for Thanksgiving. After the collection of canned goods is made, NEWSCHANNEL 5 and our partner Peter Piper Pizza purchase the meat for completion of each basket. Through this project we have been able to put together baskets each year for approximately 3,000 Valley families. In addition, canned foods are contributed to local food pantries for their continued distribution throughout the year.

Wednesday's Child
Wednesday's Child is a project of NEWSCHANNEL 5 as a service to the needs of children waiting for adoptive families. The program also highlights children from one-parent homes needing the loving attention of a Big Brother or Big Sister. During the holiday season, various organizations across the valley donate toys for these children so they will have a happy Christmas. More than 10,000 toys were donated this year.