Meandering Missive: A season of GIVING!

Monday, December 19, 2005

A season of GIVING!

A few happy holiday stories to share...

First I wanted to mention ones of my all-time favourite nonprofits, the Family Giving Tree .

I feel strongly about it because its CEO is a longtime friend, Jennifer Cullenbine. I also feel strongly because I've seen, from an insider's view, how the FGT works and how immensely it brightens the holidays for kids, families, seniors and homeless folks who otherwise would have no gifts or joy at Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa. I've also been volunteering in the gift warehouse since 1997, and hope to for years to come! :)

Based in Milpitas, the FGT had its genesis in 1989, when Jenn and her classmate/friend Todd Yoshida were pursuing their MBAs at San Jose State University , where I earned my bachelor's degree several years after them. The FGT started out providing gifts just for disadvantaged kids in one school district (I think that's right?). Over 16 more years, the FGT has expanded like kudzu! OK, maybe not that voraciously, but currently partnering with more than 180 social service agencies throughout the Bay Area is nothing to sneeze at!! In 2002 (a stat I had handy), more than 50,000 needy kids served by these agencies got gifts, thanks to the generosity of the corporations, supermarkets, banks, schools, etc. that host Giving Trees in their lobbies/storefronts/offices AND the people who pluck "wish tags" off the trees, shop for the gift wish of the given child, and return the gift to the same tree they got it from. Some gifts are fun (like games, toys and Walkmen); others are practical (like sweats, jackets or sleeping bags).

This Saturday, I spent 5 1/2 hours in a donated Santa Clara warehouse as a "supervisor elf", although I didn't just teach folks the ropes -- I worked alongside them, sorting and checking more gifts than even the North Pole could hold! It warms my heart that even in a year in which many people donated to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and many other people were un- or under-employed in the Bay Area, they still took the time and money to fulfill gift wishes. I noticed one little girl's wish tag said something like "needs a warm blanket, likes lavender." Not only did her unknown benefactor go out of his/her way to find a LAVENDER blanket, but he/she also included a comforting kid-sized PILLOW as well! That person rocks!! :)

It also warms my heart to see kids and teenagers volunteering alongside their parents, or with their youth groups, scouting groups, etc. If this doesn't teach them about charity and generosity, I don't know what will! (There are also plenty of adults who volunteer with their companies). I was particularly impressed with 10-year-old David. Not only was he meticulous in sorting and checking gifts, he was also very thoughtful! When he saw that a child whose gift wish was "Anything" (how sad) was given a tiny hand-held game that required skill with numbers, David thought the child might like a game that doesn't require a particular skill and allows the player to have fun socializing with others. So he went (with me) to the area of the warehouse ("the store") filled with gifts that were duplicates or had lost their tags, looked at the games part of it, and substituted a Jenga instead. Normally we only shop the store if a child's wish hasn't been fulfilled at all, but I was so impressed with David's sensitivity that I let him do it in this case. :)

This reminds me of how my cousin Ron in Texas took his 5-year-old son Joshua to a dollar store to buy items (from toiletries to toys) to send to families left homeless after Hurricane Katrina. Not only did Joshua learn the importance of thinking about not just yourself but OTHERS, but Ron actually let him pick out a bunch of the items himself! He loved it. I'm sure by 10 (or earlier) he'll be just like David! :) In a society where pre-teens and teenagers have so many "social preoccupations," from shopping/hanging out in malls to taking pictures with cellphones to flirting on the Internet, it's heartwarming to see how many can and DO find time to help others less fortunate.

Speaking of doing something nice for strangers, today I received a gift from my Secret Santa! His name is Vincent J. Brown Jr. I don't know anything else about him because he hasn't yet emailed to introduce himself. Vincent, if you're reading this (I know the Secret Santa site gave you my blog URL), I'd love to thank you personally, so please drop me a line! :)

I learned Vincent's name because it was on the packing slip from the Amazon.com merchant from which my gift was shipped. Even though the Secret Santa site recommended we not spend more than around $15 on our gift recipients, Vincent went a little over and bought me something on my Amazon wish list for $18! (Well, $17.99 for you sticklers *grin*). It's a beautiful natural-colored (non-bleached) cotton T-shirt called Advice from a Tree. (There's an inspirational book of the same name; click this link for more info). Thanks again, Vincent! :)

I'm sure everyone already knows how the Secret Santa site works, either from clicking on my Secret Santa banners, or from reading my excited introduction to the concept in my Nov. 21 blog entry or my even more excited Dec. 11 entry, after I received the name of the person whom *I* am playing Secret Santa for! Again, I owe a festive debt to my namesake and omnipresent character in my blog, Shari of Las Vegas! If not for reading about the "virtual" Secret Santa concept in her blog, I probably would not have found out about it, let alone participated.

"And now a quick word from our sponsors." ;) Speaking of gifts and the kindness of strangers, I'm still participating in that program where I receive compensation (via PayPal) each time I name, and link to, a variety of companies. (It's a lot better than distracting ads in banners along the top or sides of my template!) So please bear with me while I plug a few sites.

I know I've already mentioned the pet tags at LoveYourPets.com, but I've been asked to mention them again. I don't mind, as I love animals, and the site has lots of cool non-commercial areas, like "True Pet Stories", "Cool Pet News", "Pet Health & Safety" and "Pet Humor". I don't know anyone who sustained heart damage from Vioxx, but if you're interested in the current Vioxx class action suit, you might want to visit this link from FightingForYou.com. I likewise don't know much about investing in precious metals, but if I had the time and money to do so, the 30-plus-year-old Monex Deposit Company might be one of my resources.

And that concludes my entry of happy holiday stories!

Today I am feeling content.

posted by ScaryShari @ 4:24 PM

4 Comments:

At 2:46 PM, Shari said…

So much great info + goodwill - HOORAY FOR THE FGT ELVES!

We get an announcements in early January with our Secret Santa's details, so if Vincent doesn't see this post, you'll have a means of contacting him then and seeing his website (if he has one). :) (Hey, maybe it's this guy. Or this one? Hmmm! Shall we wager?)
At 2:48 PM, Shari said…

Okay, in the interest of dorking out, that was:

"great info + goodwill DASH hooray"
not
"great info + goodwill MINUS hooray"

Definitely doubleplushooray, if anything.
At 3:33 PM, ScaryShari said…

Hi Shari! Fear not; I knew that was a dash and not a minus. :) As for your sleuthing of my Secret Santa Vincent J. Brown, Jr., I suspect your second proffer is the right one!

The first Vince has a website where he mentions his dad's name is Wayne, so that nixes that particular Vince being a "Jr." However, the second Vince has a link in his blog bio to his Amazon wishlist, and on his list his name is Vincent J. Brown, Jr. of Jenkintown, Penn. MY SECRET SANTA?! :) I'll know in January!

Did you ever get a gift from YOUR Santa? Or if nothing else, did Mike notice yet if 1 or 2 items came off your Amazon wishlist? I hope so, especially since twice in the past, you got flaked on. :( That's so NOT in the Christmas spirit. I mean, why would someone sign up for a Secret Santa program if they don't plan to participate? GRRR. (I'm checking your blog eagerly for good news!)

* * * * * * * *

Milgwimper -- I suspect I know EXACTLY what memory connected to FGT volunteering is running thru your evil mind! >;D But I won't quote from it. BTW, along with Saturday, I also volunteered yesterday (Tues.) I may or may not return to the warehouse, but if I do, I'll definitely tell everyone you said hi. Actually they may need help cleaning up AFTER Christmas; do you (and perhaps DH) want to help us out then?
At 1:26 PM, Unknown said…

Hey, there's a spam comment above mine. :( Grr!

When we were embroiled in the juvenile dependency court, my sons got family giving tree gifts two years in a row through their Child Advocate. It's a wonderful program and since then I've tried to buy gifts for the cause whenever possible.

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