Roughly 200 children of all ages are in need of some holiday help this Christmas season.
The kids’ wish lists have been made available through Adopt-A-Child, a long-standing benevolent effort spearheaded the past several years by Iolans Cheryl Sparks, Barbie Daugharthy and Teresa Gribble.
Sparks hopes to have all 200 kids accounted for by Thanksgiving.
“Now is a good time to give us a call because we have such a wide variety of kids to buy for,” Sparks said. “Donors have a lot of choices.”
Donors should call Sparks at 365-1789, Daugharthy at 365-5061 or Gribble at 365-9103 for more information. Each child’s wish list includes clothing and shoe sizes, as well as some gift lists.
While organizers have no set amount they require donors to spend, Sparks noted helpers in the past spent an average of about $50 per child.
“That’s just a ballpark figure,” she stressed.
Donors should have the unwrapped gifts sent to First Baptist Church by Dec. 3, so they can be distributed to the families by Dec. 10.
An Adopt-A-Child account also has been set up at Emprise Bank for folks who want to donate financially and not have the stress of extra Christmas shopping.
Organizers use donated funds to purchase gifts for children who haven’t been “adopted,” Sparks explained.
Roughly 260 kids were signed up at the Nov. 2 registration period, Sparks said.
The Iola Police Department accounts for 60 of the youths through its Project Care campaign.
“We just do signup for both at the same time,” Sparks said.
Adopt-A-Child wish lists available
