Tag Sale Items Needed—

Two Brothers Plan A Tag Sale To Help Haitian Children

By Eliza Hallabeck

Brothers Nathan and Joshua Malota have been working after school to sort and label items collected Saturday, April 10, during a drive at Newtown Middle School for residents to donate tag sale items.

Everything donated to their effort will be transported to the Stormville Airport Ultimate Yard Sale in Stormville, N.Y., where the Malotas have a booth to sell their collection on May 8, at the annual event of the Stormville Airport Flea Market. All proceeds from the sale will go to help Haitian children.

Nathan, a fifth grade student at Reed Intermediate School, said he was inspired by one of his fellow classmates, who held a bake sale to raise funds for Haiti at Edmond Town Hall.

“We wanted to do something for Haiti, but we weren’t really sure what to do,” said Nathan. The tag sale event came together with the help of Nathan’s mother, Jeanne Malota, who is an event planner and owner of JMM Events. Ms Malota suggested holding a tag sale, and Nathan said he thought it was a great idea. Joshua, a second grade student, said he wanted to help his brother with the project.

On April 10 the family waited from 9 am until noon for residents to donate items to the tag sale in the parking lot of Newtown Middle School.

Joshua said they waited for half an hour before the first person came, but the first arrivals brought a full truck-load of items for the tag sale. Nathan and Joshua’s father, Michael Malota, helped to transport everything dropped off at NMS to the family’s house to be separated and prepared by the boys.

“We decided that, in order for them to make a lot of money through the tag sale for Haiti, we really need a lot of attendants there,” said Ms Malota. The family had participated in the tag sale in Stormville before, and she contacted the organizers to book a space.

“We thought it would be a good place for them to have it,” said Ms Malota.

Some of the items donated so far include a lounge chair, a tread mill, televisions, a power washer, and games.

“There are really nice things for kids,” Ms Malota said, “and what they are doing with the board games is they are going through each game to make sure every piece is in there before they sell it.”

Nathan and Joshua said they are also spending time during their spring break to organize the items and prepare for the upcoming tag sale on May 8.

All of the proceeds will be going to the Haitian Ministries.

After the tag sale is held and the money has been collected, Nathan and Joshua will also be meeting with Deacon Chuck Dietsch of Sacred Heart Church in Southbury.

“He has been to Haiti, and he was actually trapped in the rubble of Haiti for about ten hours,” said Nathan. “He goes there a lot and he has a direct connection.”

Deacon Dietsch will be accepting the money from Nathan and Joshua after returning from his current trip to Haiti.

The Sacred Heart Church choir will also be helping to transport items to New York, and the boys’ grandparents Cheryl and Raymond Arendt from Oxford will be helping to oversee the tag sale booth.

“They had two earthquakes,” said Nathan, when asked why he wanted to help the reconstruction effort in Haiti, “and most of the schools are torn down. Maybe they can use the money for food or water or to rebuild a school.”

Collecting everything on Saturday was fun, according to Joshua. Ms Malota said everything has been priced really well by the boys, and there will be items in the tag sale for people of all ages, including brand-name clothes.

“We had a whole pickup truck, a whole SUV, and another whole SUV filled up,” said Nathan.

“People have been very generous,” said Ms Malota.

Tag sale items can be donated until May 2, and money donations to the cause can also be made. For more information or to arrange pick up or drop off of items, email jeanne.malota@sbcglobal.net.