Gift of giving
Team effort ensures children in need will have presents this Christmas
Christmas will be brighter this year for over 300 underprivileged Tuolumne County children who will receive gifts from The Junction shopping center’s Giving Tree program in East Sonora.
For the past 33 years, The Junction has partnered with county elementary schools and local nonprofit organizations that include the Tuolumne Me-wuk Tribal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, Amador-Tuolumne Community Action Agency, Infant-Child Enrichment Services, Center for a Non Violent Community, to provide presents to children in need at Christmas, according to Julia Jones, owner of Sierra Bridal and Balloons in the shopping center.
“We had 119 tags to fill on Friday morning,” she said of the gift labels tied to the Christmas tree in her shop, which contained the name of a child and the gift they wanted to receive. “By
3 p.m. Saturday, they were all filled.”
Anyone interested in receiving a gift from the program needed to register ahead of time through any of the nonprofits involved, or at one of the Tuolumne County elementary schools.
It was all tears and hugs for single mother Terrakay Detjens, of Sonora, who arrived at the bridal shop Wednesday morning to pick up a gift of diapers, clothing and toys, for her four-monthold daughter, Amelia.
“I am really grateful.
ATCAA has always been there for me, “she said with tears in her eyes.
Detjens and her baby are part of the Early Head Start Home Base, an educational and supportive program for eligible pregnant women and families with children 0-3 years old.
“Amelia’s the light of my day,” she said.
Jones used her personal and business Facebook accounts to post her concern over the slow pace the event was experiencing last week.
County Supervisor Jaron Brandon, along with members of his Facebook group Tuco Stronger Together, answered the call for help from Jones.
“Jaron Brandon was responsible for a lot of the donations the Giving Tree received,” Jones said. “He put the word out through Facebook and a lot of people responded.”
The generous donations by the community at Giving Tree locations — including Hibernation Hearth & Home, Taylor Jewelers, Pac-nCopy, Umpqua Bank,
T.J. Maxx, CVS and the office of The Junction manager Wendy TippettGast — have helped hundreds of families with children.
“There are so many donated gifts in my office I can barely walk through it,” Tippett-gast said. “I start preparing for this event in October.”
For Tippett-gast, a mother of four who has experienced hard times in the past, being part of the Giving Tree program is a heartwarming experience filled with hugs, tears and happiness.
“One woman cried when she found out her children would be getting donated presents,” she said. “She told the kids, prior to finding out about the Giving Tree, that they were only getting one gift each. She was so grateful.”
It is the reaction from struggling families that gives Terri Alford, an ATCAA home visit supervisor for the Early Head Start Home Base Program, a full heart this time of year.
“It is so rewarding to watch the parents,” Alford said. “I love seeing the joy on their faces. Knowing that they will have gifts to give their children. It makes them feel like they are a part of the community.”
The requests by children, not all for toys, emphasized the hardship that so many Tuolumne County children are experiencing.
“Almost every child asked for clothing of some sort,” Jones said. “Jackets and boots were repeatedly asked for by almost everyone.”
Popular items, besides clothing, including skateboards and art
supplies, were requested, along with a number of children who asked for a bicycle.
“This is a high-ticket item,” Jones said of bicycles. “Thanks to Sonora Cyclery who made two kids’ wishes come true through the donation of two bicycles. Christian Heights Church member Kim Packham and other members of the congregation donated money to buy a bicycle for a child, as well. There was a fourth bicycle purchased, that I know of, but I don’t have any details.”
Due to the high cost involved, the Giving Tree program was only able to provide bicycles for four lucky children. However, every child who registered will receive a gift.
Christmas is a time for giving, and the local community has answered the call to help so many children in need this year on a whole new level.
For Elena Linehan, a family advocate for the Tuolumne Me-wuk Tribal TANF, the giving season is cause for jubilant celebration.
According to Linehan, TANF serves families in need with children under 18, who are of native heritage, not just Me-wuk heritage. This year TANF had 51 children registered to receive gifts from the Giving Tree.
“It has been wonderful to make these children’s Christmas that much better, that much brighter,” she said. “I feel like Santa’s helper.