Happiness fund touches so many
On behalf of the Rowan County Department of Social Services and the families we serve, I want to thank everyone who made a contribution to the 2009 Christmas Happiness fund. I also want to help the Salisbury Post for sponsoring the fundraiser for the 58th year.
In these hard economic times, many parents struggle to provide food and shelter for their family, and they do not have the means to do anything extra for their children. Without Christmas Happiness, gifts would not be possible for hundreds of Rowan County children.
The commitment of this community to children has been incredibly helpful this year. Donations totalling almost $60,000 enabled DSS to issue vouchers for everyone who applied and was found eligible for assistance. As the close of business on Dec. 23, vouchers for 2,857 children had been issued. Parents shopped with these vouchers, selecting toys and clothes to put under the tree. As the last vouchers were handed out by staff just before our offices closed, we heard endless expressions of appreciation from the parents. Christmas Happiness is much more than helping parents provide for their children’s Christmas, as important as that is. But also, Christmas Happiness lets families in need know that others are thinking of them and are doing something tangible to help. Christmas Happiness give hope for a brighter tomorrow.
The real joy of Christmas is sharing what we have with others. May everyone who had a part in the Christmas Happiness program, the donors and the recipients, experience the joy of Christmas.
ó Sandra Wilkes
Wilkes is director of the Rowan County Department of Social Services.
Editor’s note: At the end of last week, Wilkes said Christmas Happiness for the first time in its history would not be able to help all who qualified this year. An influx of donations after that enabled DSS to reach more families than initially anticipated.