Issue 48, November 29, 2015
Folks, this coming Saturday morning will be our club’s most beloved event. This is when we have our annual Children’s Christmas Shopping Spree.
We don’t make the local news channels; we receive no notoriety in the Times-Union. Humbleness and giving is what we take away.
These children are from broken families. They’re temporarily living at the Florence N. Davis Center with their mothers, who are re-establishing themselves, from away from abusive situations. This is an especially hard time for a single mother, who has to combat all the hype of the holidays that is geared toward kids, when they don’t have the ability to provide. Children are supposed to be the most resilient, but they also are the most susceptible to the harsh realities of life. Make no mistake, without our involvement, these children will have little to celebrate.
This is our opportunity to show care for those who are much less fortunate. Every year, our members tell me that these kids want to get presents for everyone…but themselves.
As a club member, it is hard to get up way too early on your day off, for someone you don’t know, and will most likely never see again. But after meeting your child, going over their list, walking around the Target with your calculator (to keep them on budget), talking to them and learning about their lives…every one of us leave with a sense of just how fortunate we really are. The things we complain about in our lives, are truly miniscule when compared to the reality of an unknown future. We’ve had members bring their children (and grand-children) to this, so they can see what it means to have real needs.
If you’d like to be part of this experience, please get in touch with Megan Turner megan.turner@amsan.com (904) 404-6243. I encourage you to bring family members, as well.
Annie and I will be at the Target on San Jose (near I-295) at 6:30 Saturday morning, with tired eyes and Starbucks coffee in hand, for the most fulfilling 2 hours of our year. Many of us meet afterward for an unofficial breakfast at the nearby First Watch Daytime Cafe, to talk about our new experiences.
Hope to see you there!
