Lake Bluff Company Donates Children's Clothing to Japan Relief

More than 100,000 Japanese children lost their homes and belongings to the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.

However, soon thousands will, at the very least, have fresh, new clothing to wear, thanks to a Lake Bluff-headquartered children’s company, Chelsea & Scott Ltd., creator of One Step Ahead for babies and Leaps and Bounds for kids.

In the wake of the catastrophe, Kids In Distressed Situations (K.I.D.S), the international children’s charity, released a plea for kids’ clothing and blankets. Karen Scott, president of Chelsea & Scott, was eager to help.

Now, nearly a quarter million dollars’ worth of new, all-cotton children’s apparel is making its way to Indonesia, where K.I.D.S. is staging its relief effort. The 3,000-pound “care package” includes more than 16,000 shirts, pants, and coveralls for babies, toddlers, and kids. 

“Following this tragedy, we were moved to help these suffering families,” said Scott. “Every child should have clean, warm clothing to wear. We knew our donation could bring some comfort to large numbers of kids in need.”

More than 350,000 people were left homeless by the massive earthquake, which registered 9.0 on the Richter scale and triggered a tsunami along Japan’s northeast coast.

“This clothing will help children who are trying to reestablish their lives to take that next step forward,” Dr. Janice Weinman, president of K.I.D.S.