Christmas
gift drive exceeds goals
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| SANTA'S WORKSHOP: in Tim Quillen's (L) garage sorting donations into gift bags. With Tim, CDTC members Suzanne Ferrio and Regina DeAngelo who chaired the effort for the CDTC |
This
Christmas, Charlestown Democrats teamed up with Operating Engineers Local 57 to
bring some joy to children who have been taken under the care of the RI
Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) in South County. The goal was
to fulfill the Christmas gift wish lists of 30 of these children.
These
children, aged two years old to 17, are in foster care or shelters. Their wish
lists were often heartbreakingly modest – one child asked for socks. Several asked
for pajamas. Others asked for towels and blankets. A couple of them are
approaching 18, when they will “age out” of DCYF, and their wish lists focused
on household goods they would need to set up life on their own.
The requests
for less basic needs – for toys or other more traditional children’s holiday
gifts – showed that these children did not have very high expectations.
Though the
official end of the gift drive was last Monday, December 17, gifts continue to
come in. According to Charlestown Democratic Vice-chair Tim Quillen, who
started this program a few years ago through his union, not only were the lists
of all 30 of the children originally on the list fulfilled (and often
exceeded), but there were enough gift donations to take care of at least another
20 children.
Thanks to
the members of the Operating Engineers union, Charlestown Democrats and area
residents who responded to this gift drive, this effort nearly doubled its goal
and will bring a better Christmas to a lot of South County children.
