Project Holiday Cheer brings merry Christmas to youngsters

Christmas was merrier this year for some area youngsters thanks to the High Springs Police Department’s annual gift giveaway. Police Department officers and employees loaded up a truck with presents for an early Christmas delivery last Wednesday.

HIGH SPRINGS – With massive support from the High Springs community, clubs and businesses, as well as the High Springs Police Department, 20 children in High Springs will have a merrier Christmas this year. High Springs Police Department Dispatch Supervisor Stephanie Hall organized this year’s gift giveaway for children who may not have had gifts without the help of the police officers and staff. “This is an annual event for the department,” explained Hall.

The gift giveaway, which began about one week prior to Christmas, is intended for children from 10 months to 16 years old, who were identified by their school or church as being in need of some Christmas cheer. “One person, who was a victim of a crime, had three children. We included her children as well,” said Hall.

More gifts and large stockings full of candy and other treats were also distributed on Wednesday afternoon, Dec. 19, 2012, as uniformed police officers, Police Chief Steve Holley and Hall herself handed out beautifully wrapped packages to the children. Each family also received food items such as corn, green beans and stuffing to help round out their holiday meal.

“The Rotary Club went above and beyond as Heather Clarich obtained the donated use of the High Springs New Century Woman’s Club building, provided tons of Rotary Club volunteers and facilitated dinners for 35-40 people who met to wrap presents,” said Hall. The Rotary Club brought wrapping paper, tape and other items needed to wrap presents as well as three tables stacked with gifts.

“We had 15 people from our department, which included some family members, previous employees and one student doing ‘ride a longs’ with the department, and the Rotary Club fed us all as we wrapped presents,” said Hall.

High Springs Chamber of Commerce President Sandra Webb said she donated two big boxes of unused toys and candy canes received from Dollar Tree for the Chamber’s use in the Christmas parade as stocking stuffers for the kids. “We just didn’t use it all, so I thought it should go to others who could use it.”

The rest of the items were provided by “lots of citizens,” explained Hall, as well as from Camp Kulaqua, which donated 50 gifts, the Interact Club at Santa Fe High School, which donated toys, Eastern Star Santa Fe Chapter which donated 15 pairs of pajamas, cash and several toys, employees of the High Springs Police Department, who donated Christmas stockings, time and various other items, and cash donations from the High Springs Bridge Club, and Eric Shupe and Richard Piz of AllStar Tattoo who donated money to the department from the Halloween Tatoo Haunted Maze proceeds in October. “A very generous cash donation from High Springs Fence & Construction was also received,” said Hall. Also providing donated items were Dollar General and Family Dollar, with both companies contributing huge boxes of toys. Winn Dixie also made toy contributions and Pizza 2 Go made a financial contribution.

Two children’s gifts were donated from a detective from Gilchrist County who has a relative that works with the High Springs Police Department. Decorations and two small bags of canned goods will be passed out as well.

“There were too many donations to list them all,” said Hall, “but we used each and every donation to help make Christmas brighter for these children.”

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