Giving Rye is a feature series highlighting non-profits and community groups in and around the City of Rye. Today meet Louise Sullivan of The Children’s Collective.
Your Name: Louise Sullivan
Name of your organization: The Children’s Collective
Your role: We are pretty informal, maybe founder and co-chair
MyRye.com: Tell us your organization’s mission
Sullivan: To help children in need in whatever way we can.
How long have you operated in Rye?
Sullivan: 35 years, since 1990.
What programming or work in Rye is the organization best known for?
Sullivan:
- Coat Drive: We collect new and gently used coats for children and their parents. We sort them and deliver to shelters, transitional housing facilities, community centers & schools in the Bronx, New York City and Westchester County.
- Holiday Angels: Through the generosity of our members and the community, we collect and deliver holiday gifts to the children we serve who would otherwise go without.
- Book Drive: We collect children’s books from the community and distribute them to transitional housing facilities, schools and afterschool programs. We encourage the organizations to let each child keep a book of their choice. For many it’s the only book they own.
Looking forward to 2025, what will be your top initiatives?
Sullivan: We will continue with our three annual initiatives and hopefully increase the donations and number of children we serve.
Tell us about the population you serve and how they can get involved with your programming and services.
Sullivan: The population we serve are families at or below the poverty level. Many of these families live less than 30 minutes away from Rye. They are struggling to survive and don’t have time or the ability to get involved in our programming. We are grateful to the members of the Rye community that donate their time, coats and toys to make it possible to support these families in need.
Are you a 501(c)(3) non-profit with tax exempt status?
Sullivan: We are a non-profit organization but do not have a 501(c)(3). We have not found anyone to help us apply for our tax exempt status in 2025 but it’s one of our goals.
Looking back across 2025, what were your organization’s top achievements?
Sullivan:
- We supplied warm winter coats to 650 of the children we serve
- The Holiday Angels have just started but in 2024 we delivered 850 gifts to children who would otherwise have gone without.
How can local residents support your organization?
Sullivan:
- Financially through donating coats, holiday gifts and books
- Currently, local residents can be a holiday angel
- Volunteer to sort and deliver gifts.
- Help us apply for a 501(c)(3).
- Help us with social media and publicizing our drives
What local Rye residents and area businesses have been the longest, steadiest supporters of your organization?
Sullivan: We are extremely grateful to the Rye UPS Store who have been our sponsor for 20 years. They are incredibly helpful, always allowing us to use their store as a drop off location. Houlihan Lawrence’s dedication has been invaluable. For the last 10+ years they have organized the holiday angel gifts for a large shelter we serve in the Bronx. They handle everything from getting the list of children to delivering the toys.
Resurrection and Christ Church have helped us collect coats and given us a sorting location for the last 35 years. Nichole Reiff, Katie Vernace, and I are co-chairs
Tell us about you:
How long have you been in your current role?
Sullivan: 35 years. Since it was founded.
Is the role full time or part time? Paid or volunteer?
Sullivan: All of our members are unpaid volunteers and work part time during the three drives.
How would your friends and family describe you in one word?
Sullivan: No idea. Ask Peggy haha!
Where did you grow up?
Sullivan: Long Island
Where do you live in Rye and how many years have you lived there?
Sullivan: We have lived on a lovely dead end street near Playland for the last 32 years.
Thanks Louise!
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