A scarf for a good deed: Students donate clothes, ask community members to ‘pay it forward’

A walk through downtown Dalton in recent days may have revealed something seemingly a little out of place to passersby: scarves hung from fence posts, gloves from park benches and road signs, and hats tied to roadside markers.

The scattered clothing isn’t a sign of forgetful pedestrians, but rather a charitable effort headed by a group of students at Dalton’s North Star school.

Since Jan. 6, a group of about 15 students have taken it upon themselves to leave winter clothing at various spots around town, to be claimed by someone who needs it.

“There is a module we’re working on, in our class, that is about compassion and being kind to others,” said Teresa Binford, one of a group of teachers at North Star who lead the class. “As a part of that module, we’ve made scarves and purchased other items of clothing. We’ve been tying them on our fence at school, throughout downtown Dalton, on road signs and all sorts of places. We then go around to see if anyone has picked them up. So far, they have!”

The participating students range from kindergarten- to middle school-age.

North Star Educational & Therapeutic Program, located on South Fredrick Street, is a strength-based and restorative special education program that serves children with Severe Emotional/Behavioral Disorders (SEBD) from birth through 21 years of age from the Murray County, Dalton city and Whitfield County public school systems.

According to Binford, students thus far have given away more than 70 articles of clothing, some made by students, some bought using money raised at the school by selling chocolate and chocolate-covered pretzels.

There is a catch, though, for those who find the winter wear.

Joan Teems, a nurse and paraprofessional at the school, said a note (written in English and Espanol) is attached to each item. The note informs a finder that the item isn’t lost and is theirs for the taking, but asks that the person taking the item “pay it forward by doing an act of kindness for someone else.”