She said there are 10 young Brownie /Junior Scouts who want to see the North Pole Annex. They have a donation to make to the Santa Claus Fund, but they want to understand more about how we assist Santa Claus.
Well, I jumped into the truck and made my way over to the annex. When I arrived, they were anxiously waiting outside with their leaders Lorry, Nicole and two of their mothers.
We got on the elevator and one little girl says to me, “This is my third time I’ve ever been on elevator.” I hope you enjoy the ride, I said.
As we got off the elevator, the lights came on like magic. We made our way to the toy area.
Each compartment is locked, so as I opened each door, they revealed their secret contents, and the smiles and chatter started. They got very excited as we went from doll bins to the game room.
We found the sleds and snow tubes and moved on to the mitten bin. Each new door increased their excitement. Their eyes were as big as saucers. They were pretty cute.
As I reached the office, I sat down and spoke to each one individually. I got their names and asked for questions. I didn’t get any questions, but they were anxious to present me with the toys they brought with them.
The story is the girls raised all the money themselves by selling magazines and candy and nuts. They raised $100. There are actually 12 troop members, so they divided the girls into four groups of three. Each group had $25 to spend. They went shopping and selected their own toy items with their budgeted funds. They did a great job by purchasing games, hats, mittens and an assortment of toys. Thank you Kaylee, Elisabeth, Maren, Morgan, Hayley, Devan, Meara, Hope, Megan, Lexi, Sarah and Adriana. Your help is going to put on smile on children Christmas morning.
— We received a pair of knit hats from Shari Burke today. Jane White dropped off mittens in three sizes. Bud White made children’s rocking chairs, a puzzle, magazine racks, a wooden boat, a picture book, two buses and a couple of napkin holders. Scarlet Begonias gave us a gift certificate for a cheese pizza.
Janet and Raquel Moody of Topsham made and donated 150 pair of mittens, 150 knit hats with scarves and mitten and hat sets valued at about $3,000. That’s a tremendous amount of work. They come in all sizes and colors. They are just beautiful.
Thank you again for your dedication to our cause and your generosity with your time and artistry.
— We received many donations today. John MacGregor made a donation of $5 to one of our volunteers as he delivered the mail. Alfred and Phyllis Fuchs donated $50. Ed and Jeanne McKenna sent $60 in memory of Jack, Muriel, Anna, Jackie, Ken and And Billy McKenna. The Goat Ladies Forever donated $100. Do you ladies know of the “Old Goats Coffee Group?” We may need to investigate! Keith Brown donated $100 in memory of Joyce P. Brown. Marylyn and Charles Coffin donated $50, Marjorie Powers donated $25 in memory of Arthur Powers, Geraldine Perry sent us $25, Armand and Anne Bouchard Charitable Fund donated $100, and James Perrin sent $50. Thank you to all for your generosity. This was $565 for today.
Our new total is $4,290. We have momentum and our goal of $30,000 is attainable. Thanks to all of you.
— Kid count today was 47 children, with girls outnumbering the boys 30-17. We are now at 215 children the volunteers have packed for.
We are looking for your letters, so please get them in to us soon. Send the request to The Santa Claus Fund Inc., at P.O. Box 278, Brunswick, Maine 04011. Please include your name, your address and a phone number. List the names of your children, their date of birth and their gender. Mail them as soon as you can. Wait a couple days and call us at 319-4785. The volunteer will assign you a box number and a date and time to pick up your package.
To those who would like to donate to our fund, please use the same address listed above. We will publish your donation the next day. We have an ambitious goal, but with your help, we can do this. Thank you for reading our column today, and I will be back tomorrow with more updates.
I would also like to remind people about tonight’s Santa Claus Fund auction being held at Joshua’s Restaurant and Tavern. Joshua’s is located conveniently on Maine Street in downtown Brunswick. Join the fun and excitement all evening long. While there enjoy a great meal and a fine beverage. Come downtown and help support the Santa Claus Fund.
THE SANTA CLAUS FUND reports are contributed by coordinator Dave Desjardins, known by volunteers as “the head elf.”
TO MAKE REQUESTS
Send your letters by Dec. 17 to the Santa Claus Fund Inc., P.O.
Box 278, Brunswick, ME
04011. Put your name, address and phone number at the top of the page. Then list the names, the gender and the dates of birth of your children.
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