Gifts-for-kids elves get far more than they give - AZCentral.com |
| Gifts-for-kids elves get far more than they give - AZCentral.com Posted: 01 Dec 2010 05:55 PM PST by Connie Midey - Dec. 2, 2010 12:00 AM When they're in the same city, sisters Amy Armstrong and Kristen Daukulis delight in their long-standing tradition of shopping together on the day after Thanksgiving. Family and friends by no means get short shrift on their shopping lists. But the best part of the day for the sisters is buying gifts for kids they'll never meet. Armstrong, 31, of Phoenix, and Daukulis, 24, of Philadelphia, have for eight years or so headed to the Salvation Army's Christmas Angel tree in a nearby mall. Often that has been Scottsdale Fashion Square, and there, as in the malls they've shopped in while living in other cities, they pluck angel tags from the holiday tree. Each tag represents one child, age 12 or younger, in search of a Santa Claus. The child's wish list is on the back of the tag, and often it is touchingly modest. "There are kids who just want clothes and a coloring book," Armstrong says. "It doesn't seem right." Especially when she thinks of her family's good fortune. She, husband Patrick and their kids, Emily, 5, and Taylor, 3, are part of a big, extended family of people who love Christmas. They share "mounds of gifts," she says. So Armstrong, an interior designer and the grants coordinator for two foundations, took the next step, volunteering to help sort the goodies that shoppers like her have purchased and returned to the Salvation Army tables in participating malls. The volunteer work has become another family tradition. She joins her mother-in-law, Jo-Ann Armstrong, a member of the Salvation Army advisory board, for an evening of sorting at the organization's warehouse in downtown Phoenix. Amy's mother, Mary Ann Marasco, and friends also pitch in. The warehouse holds donated toys, books and clothes in thousands of bags, each for a child whose family has been screened by the Salvation Army to determine eligibility. When sorted, checked and grouped by families' ID number, the bags from each evening's work are placed in correspondingly numbered spots along row after row of shelves. Parents are assigned pickup dates, and staffers clear the shelves every morning of bags sorted the night before. Groups of volunteers repeat the process every night through Dec. 23, readying surprises for more than 46,000 kids in all. But making kids' dreams come true turns out to be a gift for the volunteers as well. "Someone will say, 'Has anyone seen a Hannah Montana doll?' " Amy Armstrong says. "Then later, you hear someone call out, 'Here's a Hannah Montana! Who needs it?' There are even bicycles - and helmets to put with them. "You're working with people you didn't know before, and you start talking about things you didn't expect to talk about. People think about their own kids as they sort. It's just a fun night." Her favorite task is making sure the "forgotten angels" are not overlooked. These are the kids, usually older, whose tags weren't picked from the mall trees. Some people find it easier and more enjoyable to shop for little kids, a feeling Armstrong used to share. Now she enjoys searching through bins that hold extra items not purchased or donated with specific kids in mind. Even those too old to believe in Santa deserve a surprise on Christmas morning. "There's so much hurt and sorrow at a time of year when everyone should be happy," Armstrong says. "It gives you a little more faith in humans to see so many people willing to help." This story was originally published in "AZ" magazine. To subscribe, visit azmagazine.azcentral.com. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
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