Next week, Christmas begins.
Signup is next Tuesday for this year’s Adopt-A-Child program at Iola’s First Baptist Church, 801 N. Cottonwood.
The outreach is for low-income families who struggle to provide gifts under the tree come Christmas morning.
Organizers Cheryl Sparks, Barbie Daugharthy and Teresa Gribble coordinate the effort that pairs needy families with generous donors. Over its nine years, the program has grown. Last year about 230 children each received four gifts through the effort plus another 50-60 children’s requests were handled by the Iola Police Department.
Signup is from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the church. Parents are reminded to bring identification plus their children’s Social Security and medical cards and the shoe and clothing sizes of their children. The identification is solely for the purpose of establishing family ties, the women said, noting in previous years gifts for some children have been requested multiple times because of split families.
If the necessary paperwork is a challenge, “we err on the side of grace,” Sparks said.
Each child receives two gifts of clothing and two toys or games. A limit of $30 per gift is requested. Snow boots and blue jeans are always in big demand, the women said.
Donors can either purchase the gifts outright or give cash donations at the Adopt-A-Child account set up at Emprise Bank.
The good thing about giving cash is that all three women are classified shopaholics.
“I’ve been shopping since last spring,” said Sparks of the program.
For those who prefer to do the shopping themselves, they can “adopt” one or more children between Nov. 7 and Nov. 23 by calling any of the three women: Barbie Daugharthy, 365-5061; Teresa Gribble, 365-9103; Cheryl Sparks, 365-1789.
Gifts are to be brought to the church by Dec. 5.
“Then the fun begins,” said Daugharthy.
Sometime during that next week volunteers will have a bang-up wrapping party. Regulars include the Allen Community College softball team and church members.
On Dec. 12, members of the high school’s FFA program deliver the presents.
It’s always magic, that the effort comes off.
The women recall one year when a family called to say they wanted to adopt a child.
“Just the year before, they were on the receiving end,” Gribble said. “They said their circumstances had changed, and now they could be on the giving side.”
Usually, the women have to turn people away because they’ve run out of funds or time.
The lesson there is to give early, and generously.
Adopt-A-Child sign-up slated for next week
