According to the Committee on Temporary Shelter (COTS), 141 Burlington area school children were staying in temporary shelter last October--an alarming increase from five years earlier.
Although children staying in shelters may look like children with permanent housing at the beginning of the school day, they are likely to be chronically tired due to the noises associated with living in crowded temporary shelters. They are also likely to get sick more often than other children because their systems are stressed, according to Rita Markley, Executive Director of COTS.
Thanks to Barnes & Noble Booksellers and Alicia Pacelli, a COTS AmeriCorps children's specialist who conducted several workshops on the styles and methods of master artists, the art work of area children experiencing homelessness is being shared with the community. Throughout the month of April, Barnes & Noble's South Burlington store at 102 Dorset Street will host an exhibit of these special pieces.
An opening reception will be held in the bookstore's cafe this evening, April 5, at 5:30.