Tellico Village Lions Club members last week carried bags filled with presents to the Family Resource Center for Lenoir City Schools’ Santa’s Helper program.
The program will supply gifts to 400 children thanks to 65 sponsors that include churches, businesses, individuals and civic groups, Susan Fox, center director, said.
“When I came to the Family Resource Center in 2004, the program was already established and had a strong foundation of the underlying support and community volunteers were already in place,” Fox said. “So it allowed us that as the need grew we were able to grow that sponsorship. It was a well-respected program, and I think that we’ve continued that tradition over the 20 years. Our sponsors enjoy working and shopping for our children, and we love the sponsors, meeting them and working with our volunteers as they come in. It’s grown based out of need.
“No school dollars and no taxpayer dollars are spent on this program,” she added. “So 100 percent of the support for our families that qualify comes from the community.”
Now that Black Friday has passed, Fox expects sponsors to start bringing in more gifts. Needy families filled out a wish list of items in September.
“I’m looking at it from my perspective and not the perspective of a parent that may have a budget that’s extremely tight, so I would think that they’re grateful to know that the clothing and the toy needs that they’ve identified as a need are being met,” Fox said.
Larry Elder, Lions Club president, said helping others is simply a part of being a Lion.
“Although our primary focus is eyesight, we are always looking for opportunities to support the local communities,” Elder said. “Jerry Pridemore, who was the president back then … he and his wife initiated supporting the program back then.”
The Village club has been involved for 19 years. This year 18 members helped 36 children, which was up from last year, Wayne DeLawter, Santa’s Helper coordinator, said.
“It was 25 percent more this year,” DeLawter said. “... Everyone wants to help out the needy.”
Kiwanis Club of Tellico Village members shared two-person, four-hour shifts each day last week to wrap presents. On Dec. 4, Scott Mathot wrapped presents with fellow member Al Porell.
“Kiwanis is focused on helping the children, so these are gifts for children,” Mathot said. “It fits our focus perfectly, and we’ve been doing this for years helping the Family Resource Center. It’s a partnership with them. This isn’t the only thing we do. We’ve helped in other ways.”
Santa’s Helper is just one way the club helps, Porell said.
“Our motto is ‘serving the children of the world’,” he said. “Most of our projects are really focused, not all of them but most of them, on children.”
County meeting needs
In its 19th year, Loudon County Schools’ Christmas for Angels will help families in need this holiday season.
There are 441 students and their siblings being sponsored, Cindy Purdy, Loudon County Family Resource Center director, said. That number is down slightly from last year’s 480, which Purdy considered a good sign and pointed to an improving economy as a reason.
This year’s effort includes 38 sponsors such as businesses, churches, civic groups and individuals. The program is based on referrals from teachers. Each bundle includes clothing, shoes, a coat, other needed items and a requested wish gift.
“The whole purpose that it originated from is to ensure that children are warm during the winter months because the main drive is to provide winter clothing,” Purdy said. “If you’re going to school cold you can’t focus on learning, and so we want kids to be warm.”
Similar to Santa’s Helper, Christmas for Angels is based on community support.
“If it wasn’t for the sponsors, this wouldn’t happen. There’s no way,” Purdy said. “Because you think in each bundle of gifts is approximately $150, and so if you multiply that by the number of angels that’s about what this program costs monetary-wise and then you’ve got volunteer hours on top of that. So you could figure four hours per child minimum. So four times 441 is about how many volunteer hours it takes and that’s just from the sponsors’ standpoint.
“Then once it comes back in here there’s gift wrapping and sorting and all that which volunteers do, too,” she added.
