Valley Celebrates 10th Annual Monkey Love Valentine Drive





Pictured from left to right:

Ross James and Jennifer Sneider of J Cuts, Shelton; Nicole Polifka of Bright Horizons, Shelton; David Morgan and Amy LaChomia of TEAM, Inc., Derby and Ansonia.

 

SHELTON- Stuffed monkeys swung in to Shelton for the tenth annual “Monkey Love Valentine Drive,” an annual effort to collect stuffed animals for children in need.

During the past ten years, over 10,327 stuffed monkeys have been collected and distributed to children in need of  smiles and a new friend to warm their hearts.

Jennifer Sneider, the owner of J-Cuts barber shop located at 505 Howe Ave. in downtown Shelton, organizes the drive every year.  She is always amazed by the outpouring of kindness from the community.

“Every year more and more people join in,” says Sneider. “Now that this collection is well established, monkeys find their way to J-Cuts throughout the year. When people see stuffed monkeys for sale, they think of children in need.”

 

J-Cuts became the main drop off location after taking the drive over from the owners of Luther’s Garage, which is now closed.

“This is my sixth year being involved,” says Sneider. “We have so much fun.  My customers, co-workers and family all love to get involved!  We decorate the barber shop in anticipation of a whole bunch of monkeys moving in for a little while.  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 children will find comfort in these monkeys.”

Additional collection locations this year included Minuteman Press of 427 Howe Ave., Suite 2 and the Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce, 10 Progress Drive, 2nd Floor, both of Shelton, along with Barb’s Corner Consignment of 25 West Main Street, Ansonia.

Minuteman Press also donated posters.

Mary Finnegan and Lenny Marconi held their Sixth Annual Monkey Love Sunday Jan. 31 at Off the Hook Bar & Grill on Ferry Boulevard in Stratford.

 

As a member of the online meet-up group, Party Express, Marconi decided to invite everyone to Off the Hook each year for a monkey drop off party. Between donations from this group and many loyal customers of Off the Hook, over 100 stuffed monkeys were collected again. Off the Hook holds a Monkey Love Sunday celebration each year on the Sunday before Super Bowl. Next year, they hope to have other area pubs in Stratford join in.



Mary Finnegan, bartender at Off the Hook in Stratford coordinates Monkey Love Sunday the Sunday before Super Bowl each year

For the third year in a row, the Milford Fire Department dropped off donations along with Bright Horizons child care center of 3 Corporate Drive, Shelton and United Methodist Women of the First United Methodist Church, 47 Franklin St. in Ansonia.

The United Methodist Women, led by Barbara Tchakirides, crocheted 12 adorable and colorful stuffed monkeys. “We enjoyed crocheting these monkeys knowing they would warm the hearts of children in need on Valentine’s Day,” says Tchakirides.

This annual community event benefits abused and neglected children, impoverished, adopted and sick children, as well as children who may feel a little left out when a younger sibling is born and children treated for cancer or other illnesses at local hospitals.

 

The 9th Annual Monkey Love Valentine Drive, held in 2015, collected and distributed over 1,880 stuffed monkeys to area organizations to give to children in need.

Children benefited by the drive this year are serviced by the Lower Naugatuck Valley (Shelton) Boys & Girls Club, Yale-New Haven Children’s Hospital in New Haven, TEAM Inc. in Derby and Ansonia, BHcare’s Center for Domestic Violence Services in Ansonia, Griffin Hospital of Derby and the Department of Children & Families in Milford.

Coordinators also shared 26 of the stuffed monkeys as “26 Random Acts of Kindness.”

For information on holding a collection of your own next year, beginning Jan. 1, 2017, call J-Cuts, 203-924-4107.

J-Cuts also holds an Annual Back-To-School Book Bag & School Supply Drive which begins July 1.

  
(This is a press release from J-Cuts)

Valentines, monkeys to make children happy

Monkey see, monkey do? Drive was a success

Stuffed simians fill J-Cuts, 505 Howe Ave., Shelton. / Contributed photo

The seventh annual Monkey Love Valentine Drive shaped up to be one of the most successful collections ever, organizers said in a release.

 

Over 1,500 stuffed monkeys were collected by various groups and companies in the area. 

Eileen Henri, a member of Keith Urban's online community, the "Ville," who resides in Derby, coordinated a collection again this year.  

Plush monkeys were sent from Australia, Canada, and Spain as well as from people in 32 states.

Urban's fans collected more than 1,160 monkeys. Their goal was to collect more than last year, which netted 719. 
With the generous support and kindness of Urban's fans, they went way beyond their goal and continued to make this drive a global effort.

 
Community shows it cares 
 
Jennifer Sneider, owner of J-Cuts, 505 Howe Ave., Shelton, said she was amazed at the outpouring of kindness from the community and the Keith Urban "Ville" fan club and Facebook fans.

"Especially with the way our economy has been lately," Sneider said, "I didn't expect to collect so many monkeys."  

Additional collection locations in Shelton included Huntington Family Dental Group, 534 Shelton Ave., Minuteman Press, 427 Howe Ave., Suite 2, and the Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce, 10 Progress Drive, second Floor.

The Shelton Lion’s Club held its own collection.  Because they will be putting together Easter food and candy baskets for less fortunate families in Shelton, the monkeys were donated right back to their organization to include in these baskets. 

Minuteman Press donated posters for the collection again this year. 

Haynes Group, Inc., headquartered in Seymour, held a collection toward the end of January. With locations in Seymour, Oxford, Naugatuck, Torrington, and Deep River, they quickly collected more than 100 monkeys. 

Ruth Rogers, owner of Topside Cafe, 333 Boston Post Road, Milford, along with Mary Finnegan and Lenny Marconi, held their third Annual Monkey Love Valentine Drive Jan. 27. They collected about 50 stuffed monkeys this year. 

They will hold a Monkey Love Sunday celebration each year on the Sunday before Superbowl. They said they hoped to have other area pubs in Milford and Shelton join in for this annual event to benefit children in need. 

This annual event benefits abused and neglected children, impoverished, adopted and sick children, and frightened children involved in police calls, as well as children who may feel a little left out when a younger sibling is born and children treated for cancer or other illnesses at local hospitals. 

Last year the Monkey Love Valentine Drive collected and distributed 907 stuffed monkeys to area organizations who serve children in need.  

The drive will benefit children serviced by the Ansonia, Milford, and Lower Naugatuck Valley (Shelton) Boys & Girls Clubs, Yale-New Haven Children's Hospital in New Haven, Yale-New Haven Children's Hospital at Bridgeport Hospital Campus, TEAM, Inc. in Derby and Ansonia, BHcare’s Center for Domestic Violence Services in Ansonia, the Seymour Police Department, Griffin Hospital, Derby and Sunnyside School, Shelton. 

Although a representative of the children who attended Sandy Hook Elementary School mentioned they could not accept donations because they still have a warehouse full, an extra 100 stuffed monkeys were given to Yale-New Haven Children's Hospital in honor of the children. 

In addition, 26 monkeys were wrapped and given out with a Valentine card as a surprise to various children in the Newtown area. 

“This is my third year doing it,” Sneider said. “We have so much fun. My customers get involved and my teen-aged 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.” 

For information on participating next year, call J-Cuts, 203-924-4107.

The information in this post was taken from a press release.