Mona Waibel
We are coming to the end of 2008, another good year for our town.
At the end of any year, I always feel grateful for good health and having this town full of friends who care about each other. About this time I think about others that are not so fortunate, that do not have things going so well for them. It is then I do my giving. Of course it does help your income tax deductions to give at the end of each year. No donation is too large or too small.
There are so many things we can help accomplish yet in this year. I can only share what I know and do at this start of the holidays. Some charities are right here under our nose:
– Sweet Home Fire and Ambulance District has a Sharing Tree program in which you just take a name off the tree and give a needy person a gift;
– The Evangelical Church gives to Angel Tree, a program that provides gifts for children whose parents are incarcerated and unable to send gifts to their children. Call 367-4357;
– The Sweet Home Foundation steps forward and shares each year to many needy events and needy individuals also. They accept donations. Call Tim McQueary at 367-2956 or Max Thompson 367-4539 for address and additional information.
– Each year, my giving has included the Sweet Home Alumni Foundation, which gives scholarships at each SHHS graduation to young people who need help with their college tuitions. I am part of the Alumni Board and it is our goal to eventually pay full scholarships to every graduate, but for now we can only do part of the tuition. Dec. 6, is our annual fund-raiser – the decorated tree auction and you are all invited. A large donation came in recently anonymously. We accept cash donations as well as silent auction sale items. Call 367-3803 or write to SHAF, P.O. Box 83, Sweet Home, OR, 97386
– The city Beautification Program always needs donations to help purchase plants to keep our town looking glorious. What a grand job this committee has done. They need volunteers to work on the weeding as well as planting too. Contact Alice Grovom at 367-5231 and thank her too for her dedication.
– Sweet Home Emergency Ministry SHEM needs food and money to give food items to those that are in need. SHEM is located at 1040 Long St. and may be reached by phone at 367-6504. Helpers are always needed to stock shelves and help with distribution.
– Hope Center is a nonprofit operation that houses women who need a safe place to live. They are housed in a former church building next to the Sweet Home City Hall. Cash donations and items are always needed for the families who have sought refuge there. This fine program has been a cooperative effort of many Sweet Home churches.
– Fir Lawn Lutheran quilts for those in need and they could use donations for the batting and trims and any good yardage you could donate. Call 367-3642.
Many churches and organizations fix Christmas baskets and take them to several families, but there are always more needy ones than the town can find and support. Make a call to a church, the fire department, or the Elks Lodge and offer to buy a turkey or give a pound of coffee or some other item.
Another good thing to do is pick a needy family with children and give of your time and money. Children may be without a cheery Christmas without you remembering them with a turkey, all the fixings and perhaps a gift for each of the children. Also the schools need coats for all ages. You could inquire at the school of your choice for names of those needing cheer. And for those that have the love of children – look into volunteering at a local school, perhaps listening to a child reading you a story. Some schools call it the SMART program. You will be blessed by this act of love.
Of course I have only touched on a few ways you can give at Christmas time. These are a few of my favorite things! If you have other suggestions, please send a letter to the editor of this newspaper to tell of other charitable organizations that help others at Christmas time and are also helping other times than the holidays. Mail your letter to The New Era, P.O. Box 39, Sweet Home, OR 97386, drop it by at 1313 Main St. or e-mail it (with your name and phone number) to [email protected]
Thanks for listening, friends.
Mona Waibel, a frequent contributor to The New Era, is a former manager of the Chamber of Commerce, a former city councilor and has been involved in too many other public activities to list here.