Previous Years Message
The 2009 message follows: I put the 2008 updates inbluetype. This year's updates will be inred. I do it this way to show the growth and the need of the program. Of course it saves me from typing a new edition, but the program is the same, my strong feelings for it are the same, and I wrote the message from my heart so there is no need to reinvent it.It must have worked, just look at how many kids we helped!
As most of you know, the last 12(13)(14)years, we've been involved in the Salvation Army Christmas Angel program. We started small (probably 10 kids the first year) and it has grown over the years (almost 300 for Christmas 2006, and 378 for 2007)(600+ for2010 and you read that right!)due to the overwhelming generosity of those that have chosen to help us and believe in the cause as strongly as we do. Because of the size of our program, the Salvation Army (hereafter referred to as SA) has changed around some of their operations that will make it more efficient and easier on us to keep track of all these kids. Also, due to the size and amount of time I put in, I did a lot of research in the "off" season.
First, a brief recap for those new to this whole thing.
The program serves needy children in the Southeast Franklin and Fairfield County. These kids are the neediest of the needy. Many are in foster homes, wards of the state, parents in prison, etc. They would not have a Christmas if not for this program. In the past, you've seen the angel tags in Krogers stores or other retail outlets, hanging on Christmas trees waiting on some stranger to come up, take a tag, go shop, and then drop it in a box. What we've done in the past is just gather up the tags directly from the SA before they're given out to the rest of the public, give them out to our friends, relatives, co-workers, friends of friends, trustworthy strangers and anybody else within an arm's reach for the twisting.(One of the greatest things that happens each year is hearing, "I know you don't know me but somebody sent me your message and I've GOT to help...")We then collected it all up, warehouse it at my house, and then the SA would send a truck that was way too small for the job and pick it up. This year the SA is graciously paying to put aBIN in my driveway because my house can't hold it all.(editor's note: Bring in Storage is donating2BINSand is trucking them to the SA)
Second, why this became a strange obsession for me:
In 1995, Mary Moore, a woman that worked for me asked if I would buy Christmas gifts for a couple of kids in an SA program. I knew that Mary was raised in a foster home and was practically brought up by the Salvation Army. Also knew she was perhaps the most kind-hearted person I'd ever met so I agreed to help. Bought for a few kids.That was it. Following year, Mary asked me to help again, I asked her how many kids she helped, and she said as many as I can or as many as I can get others to do as well. We did a few more than the year prior, and I bugged a few co-workers to help out as well. It's a year later, I'm involved again, and start to ask Mary some more questions like "who are these kids?, how many are there and why are you so passionate about it?". Her answers really led to one of those "AHA!" moments in life. She told me these were kids that don't have anything, there are more of them than I can imagine...and here's the thing that got me...often times, these kids will spend Christmas morning in their foster home watching their foster family opening gifts while not getting a damn thing themselves. I found out that foster parents are paid to take care of these kids, but aren't given any extra expense money to provide them with anything but the basic necessities (Christmas is not a necessity in case you didn't know). Hard to imagine.Bad enough whatever the circumstance that put them into a home with strangers, bad enough to be away from your family during the holidays, but to watch the rest of the family celebrate while feeling like a complete outsider?
The best part of this for me is knowing that this help goes directly to the kids. No bureaucracy, no skimming, just a good feeling for a kid that might think rest of the world is against him. The worst part of this is when I first get the stacks of angel tags. I dare anyone who got them and started to read them over, not to cry. Or maybe I'm just a wuss. I spend the better part of a day between pissed off at their parents, and just plain depressed.You would think that I'd be used to this by now but I'm not.They ask for things like pajamas, socks, coats, scissors(as well as dream ticket items like bikes or gameboys). Things that my kids would never have to ask for.Everything from a nine month old needing a warm hat, to a 16 year old girl asking for a makeup kit. I can be mad at the parents all day long, but it doesn't change the fact that these kids didn't deserve or ask to be in this position, and they are the one's we are helping.I just got this year's list. It's heartbreaking to me torecognize the same kids' names year after year. I remember the names, andsee the same siblings over and over. The third tag I looked at this year was Hannah, age 8. One of the things she asked for was a blanket. A BLANKET! Aw hell, I'm adopting Hannah. Sorry but you can't have her.
BTW, second worst part is writing this message. Equal parts trying not to be an emotional wreck, sound like a begging whiner, all while at the same time attempting to convey my passion for this and why it is necessary without boring you to an early death. Looks like I wimped outagainthis year, using so much of 2007's message. Still emotional though.
How the program was changed this year.
In the past, I would get 100 kids, get rid of them, ask for 50 more, get rid of them, and so on. The information was on the same angel tags that would hang on the trees. It wasn't very specific. This year we told the SA we would commit to doing 300 kids.(300 turned into 378)Take a deep breath and say that number slowly. This year the SA didn't bother to ask how many we could take, they simply gave me 423 angels(now 500+. When I asked Mandy Miller from the SA how many she was dropping off to me today she said "A zillion". Hoped she's kidding. She wasn't. It's a 3 inch three-ring binder full. Each kid is one page front and back. I started counting, got to 250, then estimated from there. Can't finish counting right now or I'll get the shpilkes in my genecktagizoink).HOLY CRAP! I may have been a little overzealous, insane, or both. Instead of the tags, I have very detailed information sheets on each kid. Also, they sorted the kids by family, so I know all siblings will be treated the same. The SA will be sending more trucks to my house over the season and we may have other more convenient drop off points for the stuff. See POD solution above.
Last year I felt damn good about doing 300(378)(586)kids considering the total program for this particular SA branch serves about 500(600)Now over 750 so we need the help now more than ever.Then I multiplied that number by the total number of SA branches and, well, you get the picture... It's a lot like shoveling sand against the tide.
How you can help,frequently asked questions, and random thoughts in no particular order.
Adopt some kids. As few or as many as you wish.Buy some of the items on their wish list. Put it all in a big bag and label it so I can sort it. Get it to me or I'll pick it up. It's that simple. DO NOT WRAP any presents. Sometime in the past, some yahoo (not in our group) thought it would be funny to wrap up a marital aid for a kid to open on Christmas, thus ruining it for regular people everywhere. There's a special place in hell for that guy.
Here's the typical scenario: You ask me for a 10 year old boy and a 5 year old girl because that mirrors your own kids and will be easy to buy for. I then email or fax you the information sheets, then off you go. Give to your level of comfort. Take one. Take ten. Go crazy and take 20. With 300,(423,500+everytime I type that I get a weird feeling in my stomach)I've got plenty of all shapes and sizes. Get a couple things from the needs column and a couple of things for the wants. Then feel good about yourself because you've done a great thing.
I've never delivered these to the kids or even watched the distribution. I might this year but question whether I can handle it.(Last year we took the kids and went down and helped hand out the gifts. I was right, I couldn't handle it, but that's a story for the next update.)The people I work with at the SA are amazing. Their purity of generosity makes it easy to want to help them. They can leap tall buildings and most of them are clairvoyant and smell of vanilla. (they also all have the strength of orangutans and run sub 4.4 forty times)Last sentence was strategically placed to check if you were still reading.
My kids are a lot like yours. They don't want for much and certainly don't have a care in the world regarding whether or not Santa will come for them. This is a good lesson for them. Although it can lead to uncomfortable conversations as to why Santa doesn't deliver to certain children. Last year we gave away around 15(20+)(my garage full)bikes, over 150 winter coats, probably over 1000 socks and at least one hippety hop. (No hippety hops last year but we did get a sit-n-spin)I wish they made bigger hippety hops. Some kids get more, some a bit less, but we do try to even it all out.Many people donate random extra items to help with the kids that don't get as much.You can give gently used items that we'll use to round out the gifts. One of these years, I'll take a video of all the bounty stuffed into my house and email it out to all those that help.Pics from last year will be in my next newsletter.If you would forward this to anyone you think might be interested, that would be great because 300(500+)is a big number and my stomach feels weird thinking about it. Not sure when the cutoff date is to return the gifts yet but it is usually mid December. The SA does do needs testing and we are not simply bailing out the "lazy."(If the family is enrolled in another program such as Shop with Cops, etc., they aren't allowed in the Angel program)I guarantee you that the SA Captain will come to my house, see all the stuff and then cry.Maybe not this year as we're breaking in a new Captain. I think this is my fourth one and I could write an entire column on the fun of dealing with just this subject alone Alas, will save it for another day when battling writer's block.He does this every year. You will smile while Angel shopping.
Yes, this is tax deductible and the SA will give you a proof of donation form.
Just email me your questions and let me know if you can help or know anybody that can. No pressure at all. I know most people are involved with various charities or organizations this time of year. The gifts need to be in by Saturday December17th. If you helped in year's past, thank you very much. If you're new, jump right in. I'll be sending this message out via this newsletter and regular email as well so you may get it twice. Some spamfilters stop my newsletter, which seems wrong because it is chock full of valuable and potentially life saving information. Please forward this message to anybody you know who may want to help.Forwarding this is especially important due to the numbers this year. I don't have enough friends, clients, acquaintences orenemies (well, maybe enemies) to get the job done.
As of this writing,Michele has all the angel sheets spread out all overour living room, dividing them into families, to make it easier on people that want siblings.(They divided them by families for me this year. I try my best to keep siblings together but the shear number makes it impossible. I will try to honor all requests as best I can.)She told me she got through most of them without crying until she came across a 15 year old girl who had obviously filled out her sheet. The tag had "thank you thank you thank you" written all over it. There are way too many of them and the task seems especially daunting this year, but I have every confidence that together, we'll pull this thing off. Somehow we always do.