Pictured from left: representing the Lower Naugatuck Valley Boys & Girls Club: Michael Leone, Arlene Bellotti, Megan Doyle and Sami Bellotti; Meral Prewitt, Covenant to Care for Children; Jennifer Sneider, owner of J-Cuts and Eileen Henri, “Monkeyville” member.
The following information is from a press release from drive organizers.
J-Cuts Barber Shop in downtown Shelton, Topside Café in Milford, Eileen Henri’s Keith Urban “Monkeyville” members and Facebook fans and Joshua Sussan’s Troop 1 Milford Boy Scouts helped spread monkey love to children in need, abused and neglected children, impoverished, adopted and sick children, and frightened children involved in police calls, as well as those who may feel a little left out when a younger sibling is born.
This year, 907 stuffed monkeys were collected and distributed to the ACT/Spooner House Homeless Shelter, Department of Family & Children’s Aid Shelton & Danbury Safe Homes, the Shelton Police Department, Covenant to Care for Children, Bridgeport Hospital, Griffin Hospital, Yale-New Haven Children’s Hospital and the Lower Naugatuck Valley Boys & Girls Club.
Members of country singer Keith Urban’s online community, “Monkeyville” and his Facebook fans from all over the world, have contributed to the drive by mailing stuffed monkeys to Derby resident and Monkeyville member, Eileen Henri.
They have participated in the drive since the beginning. This year, monkeys were mailed from Canada, Spain, England, Australia, and Germany. They were also sent in from 30 states.
Joshua Sussan, a J-Cuts customer and Shelton resident, decided to help out by leading Troop 1 of the Milford Boy Scouts in their own community drive. They collected 36 stuffed monkeys.
Topside Café in Milford held its second annual “Monkey Love Sunday” to collect monkeys.
Jennifer Sneider, owner of J-Cuts in Shelton, uses her business as the the main collection and drop off location. She wanted to help out by taking over this drive from the former owners of Luther’s Garage automotive repair business, which was located at 5 White St., around the corner from her salon.
“This is my second year doing it,” Sneider said. “We have so much fun. My customers get involved and my teenage daughter and her friends join in to help by decorating the barber shop in anticipation of a whole bunch of monkeys moving in for a little while,” she said.
“It is an amazing feeling to know each and every one of these monkeys will find comfort in the arms of a child in need and the children will find comfort in these monkeys!”
Originally, the owners of Luther’s Garage, which is now closed for business, wanted to do something nice and meaningful for the abused and neglected children of the Shelton Safe Home. Each year, more and more stuffed monkeys were collected allowing them to reach out and share the monkeys with other children in need.
Their goal was for this community drive to go national and it has gone beyond that. It is now global thanks to Keith Urban’s fans.
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