Education
Education

Students reuse jewelry for Mother’s Day gifts

By Mark Niesse
May 9, 2014

Students at Scott Elementary picked through lightly used jewelry at school Friday to bring home gifts for Mother’s Day.

The event, called Jewelry Shop for Mom, collects earrings, bracelets, necklaces and pins from women who don't wear them anymore and then allows students to choose their favorites as a gift.

Volunteers at the northwest Atlanta school wrapped the jewelry in pink and green gift bags with ribbons for the children to surprise their mothers and grandmothers.

“It’s a very big decision for them to pick one piece of jewelry,” said the event’s organizer, Judy Harrison. “The kids walk out as if they’re carrying a treasure. They’re so excited.”

Harrison, a volunteer tutor for Atlanta Public Schools students, has been running the program for six years with her daughter, Wendy Harrison.

The idea has spread to schools in other areas through their website, www.jewelryshopformom.com, including in New York, Pennsylvania, Florida and Arkansas.

About the Author

Mark Niesse is an enterprise reporter and covers elections and Georgia government for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and is considered an expert on elections and voting. Before joining the AJC, he worked for The Associated Press in Atlanta, Honolulu and Montgomery, Alabama. He also reported for The Daily Report and The Santiago Times in Chile.

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