Sponsors of the annual Christmas Store are readying
for its eighteenth year of providing Christmas dinner and gifts to financially
disadvantaged families in the area.The event is sponsored by the Holden Optimist Club, Holden Octagon Club and the First United Methodist Church and will be held on Saturday, December 11. According to event organizer Terri Callahan, the event is designed to make sure financially disadvantaged families are able to eat a nice Christmas meal and provide gifts for their children. In order to participate, families are nominated based upon need. Christmas Store organizers then mail a letter to them notifying them of the date and time of the event, as well as its details. Upon arrival at the store, the families receive a bag of groceries that contains the food needed to prepare Christmas dinner. Families are then able to choose gifts from a gift table to give to their children. Last year, according to Callahan, 75 families with over 100 children were fed and given gifts for Christmas through the event. This year, the event’s organizers are expecting 65 or more families to participate. Donations are still needed to make the event a success. According to Callahan, the event’s sponsors seek donations year round to offset costs. Anyone interested in donating to the Christmas Store may do so by contacting the Holden First United Methodist Church at 732-4718. Donations may be sent to the church at: Christmas Store, C/O Methodist Church, 400 South Main Street, Holden. There is also a toy drop in the lobby of the Holden Farmers and Commercial Bank. Anyone who knows of a family who is in need this Christmas season is encouraged to nominate them for the Christmas Store. Individuals may do so by calling the Methodist Church at 732-4718. By Christi Stowe News Editor The spirit of giving
came a little early this year in the home of Danny and Karen Rigdon
of rural Holden when their six-year-old daughter Deanna took part in
a very special haircut a little over two weeks ago.Deanna, whose hair was almost waste-length prior to the cut she received from Joanna Beavers at Shear Magic, chose to donate over a foot of hair to “Locks of Love”, a non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children under age 18 suffering from long-term medical hair loss. The donated hair is used to create high quality hair prosthetics, which is believed by officials of the organization to restore the children’s self-esteem, confidence and enable them to face the world and their peers. According to information provided by ”Locks of Love,” the greatest majority of the children receiving the hair prosthetics suffer from a condition called alopecia areata, which has no known cause or cure. When questioned about the original motivation for the haircut, Deanna explained, “My hair got too hot in school.” “At one point, her goal was to have ‘Repunzal’ hair,” Karen explained. “But, she changed her mind when she wanted it cut.” Deanna said she is happy about the donation and smiled when reminded what her hair could do for other children. According to the “Locks of Love” website, children comprise over 80 percent of the donors, making it a charity where children have the opportunity to help other children. Karen said she hoped by talking about what Deanna had done and educating others on the simple requirements of “Locks of Love” others would be encouraged to follow suit. The following are a few of the donation guidelines: • The donated hair must be at least 10 inches (preferably 12 inches) in length. • It must be bundled in a pony tail or braid. • It must be free of hair damaged by chemical processing. • The hair must be clean and dry, placed in a plastic bag and mailed in a padded envelope to: Locks of Love 2925 10th Avenue North., Suite 102 Lake Worth, Florida 33461 Monetary donations to “Locks of Love” are tax deductible. Donated hair that is not suitable for use in children’s hairpieces may be sold at fair market value to offset manufacturing costs for the organization. Individuals interested in making either monetary or hair donations are encouraged to contact the organization at their website, www.locksoflove.org. By Christi Stowe News Editor |
Area residents will have several opportunities to get into the Christmas
spirit this weekend as area organizations will be hosting a number of
holiday events. The annual Christmas Bazaar, Small Mall, and the Kingsville PTO Sixth Annual Santa Shop will all be held on Saturday, December 4. The Christmas Bazaar is sponsored by Laureate Delta Upsilon Sorority and has been a holiday favorite for Holden since 1979. It will begin at 9 a.m. and end at 3 p.m. Visitors to the bazaar will have the opportunity to purchase items from a number of booths at the event. In the past, the bazaar has been home to some of the best homemade desserts, crafts, woodworking, quilts and other products available. In addition to shopping opportunities, there will be a concession stand with homemade food provided by Laureate Delta Upsilon. According to representatives of the sorority, the homemade taco salads they make have been a favorite of bazaar attendees in the past. Santa Claus will make an appearance from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., and area children will be able to tell him their Christmas wishes and get their picture taken with the jolly old elf. A drawing will be held hourly, in which attendees will have the chance to win prizes donated by booth vendors at the bazaar. In addition, a drawing will be held every hour for one boy and one girl gift. “We are keeping it pretty traditional,” Helen Shore, sorority member said, “but, we never know from year to year what’s going to be there... We don’t get to see what the booths have until the morning of the bazaar.” For more than ten years. area children have enjoyed the Small Mall, sponsored by Xi Kappa Lambda sorority. The Small Mall gives children under age 12 the opportunity to shop for inexpensive gifts for their family without parents knowing what they’ve purchased for them. All of the items are priced below $7 and the children are assisted by “personal shoppers.” Small Mall will be held at the First Methodist Church Wesley Center this year and will begin at 9 a.m. It will continue until noon or sooner, if items are sold out. “Free gift wrapping will be provided,” Patty Raker, sorority member explained. “When the kids leave (the Small Mall) they’ll be all set up with gifts that are wrapped and tagged.” Proceeds of the Small Mall are used for the Xi Kappa Lambda sorority’s scholarship fund which is used to award a college scholarship to a deserving young lady at graduation ceremonies each spring. The Kingsville PTO is sponsoring the Sixth Annual Santa Shop which will be held in the multipurpose room of the Kingsville School on Saturday. The Santa Shop will begin at 9 a.m. and will conclude at noon. According to Kingsville PTO member, Diane Driver, the Santa Shop is open to the public and will provide items to purchase that are all priced at $2. There will be volunteers available to assist area children in their shopping ventures. Parents are welcome to sit back and eat donuts and drink coffee while their children shop for their Christmas presents. Gift wrapping will be provided at no charge. Proceeds from the Santa Shop will be used by the PTO to fund projects for Kingsville Schools. By Christi Stowe News Editor |
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