Christmas for Kids 2002

By Curt Cunningham
December 20, 2002

We have completed the 2002 Christmas for Kids program. This year we have helped 37 families and 90 children with gifts and food for the holidays. We had 35 volunteers assist us in wrapping and delivering of the gifts this year. I personally thank all these volunteers for their help and making this program a success as well as the people who have made donations of toys and cash. I also thank the entire Local 19 membership for continuing to make the cash donations that make this program exist. I also want to thank my wife Leona for putting in many hours purchasing the gifts and making sure the children get the correct gift.

We were a little short on time this year due to the lockout so we were only able to help as many as we did. Our goal is to try to help at least 50 families each year. We now use social workers or the equivalent to find the families that are most in need. We have moved the program back to the Hall so as to keep it at “Home” and so the membership can see what we are doing. Members can stop by wrap a gift and then go get a job. Since Hasbro moved its facility to California we have lost a major donator of toys. No problem, as the program gets fully funded by the Local 19 membership. So now we shop for the children and try to buy what they are asking for so long as it is within reason. We no longer give out foodstuffs. Instead we now give food vouchers to the families to buy what types of food they want. We use a formula of $20 a head. So that relieves us of much work and I personally think it is a much better way to go. We now have a system in place to keep track of all spending and accountability of what each child receives.

Recently I heard on the news of a schoolteacher who told her students that there is no Santa Claus. Well I have to disagree with her. Though Santa does not live at the North Pole or fly a sleigh pulled by magic reindeer especially one with a red nose (though we not need to tell this to the kids). Aside from the myth, Santa Claus does exist. He exists in the hearts of the men and women (and in our case some children who helped this year) who take time out of their lives to help total strangers who are less fortunate. My personal experience was last year, my wife and I made a delivery to a family who had nothing under their Christmas tree. As I was passing out gifts to the children to put under their tree I noticed one child hugging his mother and crying. I thought that was odd as he should have been very excited just like his brothers and sisters. When I asked his mother why he was crying, she replied that he had thought Santa was not coming to his house this year. I then said to him “You believe in Santa now” he answered yes. Then the mother started to cry. There were many families who told us that if it weren’t for us they would have had no holiday.

This year one member took a delivery to a home and had tried to phone them first to make a delivery appointment. The phone was disconnected so he drove out to the house anyway and they were home. So after he made the delivery he asked why the phone was out. She told him that she could no longer afford it. He took $50 out of his pocket and gave it to her. This is what Christmas is all about.

There are many organizations like ours that help the needy during the holidays and combined all these people are the true Santa’s. So if someone says to you that Santa does not exist.

Well I have to disagree, as yes there is a Santa.