Family Almanac: Warm stuff, with a little help from her friends Family Almanac: Warm stuff, with a little help from her friends (December 21, 2005)

Woodside teen organizes Kashmir clothing drive

By Jane Knoerle

Almanac Lifestyles Editor

Three truckloads of warm clothing and blankets are on their way to victims of the October 8 earthquake in Kashmir, thanks to the efforts of Miriam Zouzounis of Woodside.

Miriam, 17, a senior at Pinewood School in Los Altos Hills, is president of the school's social awareness club. She's good at worthy causes: organizing a "walkathon" at her school to raise money to build schools for African orphans, and selling coffee mugs filled with goodies to benefit Hurricane Katrina victims.

She was concerned that, because of the number of this year's disasters, Kashmir survivors were not receiving the help they needed.

"I knew time was urgent," Miriam says. Her effort included sending e-mails to all her friends and tacking up notices at Pinewood School, Woodside Elementary School, and Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church in Belmont, asking for donations of clothing and blankets.

The response was so great that Miriam enlisted the help of others, including her sister, Athena, and Woodside Elementary School sixth-graders Emily Danko, Camille Stroe, Kate Riccitiello and Mac Hyde.

Miriam's classmates, Senan Abrahim and Hannah Lippe, also pitched in.

After gathering the clothing, the Pinewood girls set up shop in the Zouzounises' garage. The younger kids, with the help of Miriam's dad, David, gathered on the family's driveway to sort and pack. Clothing was sorted into separate piles by item and stuffed into heavy trash bags.

The only items rejected were short skirts. They are not worn by women in Kashmir.

Miriam was impressed with the good quality of the donations, which included many new items.

On December 10, the family, using vans and their grandfather's truck, drove the goods to the Hidaya Foundation's warehouse in Milpitas. There, donations were packed into giant containers for shipping overseas to Pakistan. They were expected to arrive in Kashmir in three weeks.

"I like to be busy. I like to challenge myself," says Miriam, who plays three varsity sports: basketball, cross country and softball.

She is also secretary of her church youth group and takes part in competitive Greek dancing.

A senior, Miriam is considering colleges in the University of California system and in Oregon. She says she's interested in international relations and Middle Eastern studies.

Miriam is the daughter of David and Lorene Zouzounis of Woodside.

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