Upper West Side Children’s Store Celebrates Its First Year of Giving

July 25, 2008

A Time for Children, the beautiful children’s boutique at 506 Amsterdam Avenue that donates 100% of its profits to The Children’s Aid Society’s youth services, celebrated its first birthday in July; celebratory cookies baked by teens at Children’s Aid’s Next Generation Center in the Bronx were served to customers to thank them for their patronage.

The store is sponsored by Big Wood, a foundation supported by Michael and Margie Stern. Their generous donation of the store’s proceeds to Children’s Aid helps support the agency’s youth development services, and their gracious use of the store as a laboratory for teen training, makes this shop unique in New York City.

Since its opening in July 2007, 30 teens have gone through retail training and have worked in the store. Of those 30, seven have gotten jobs in retail as a result of the program; most of the teens are too young to embark on careers but have gone on to higher education or vocational training. They “all have had good experiences,” says Stern. In interviews, the teens have spoken highly of the transformative nature of their experiences.

For more information, kindly visit www.atimeforchildren.org