The Sharing Tree Wrap Up!
In 2011, there were 201 participating families in the Monticello area who received your help for Christmas. In comparison, we helped 205 families last year. All children sponsored through St. Henry’s received 3 gifts each: two clothing items and one personal gift or toy. Each parent received a gift certificate for gas or groceries. For many, this was all they received for Christmas. You have made such a difference in the lives of these families.
This program was started at St. Henry’s in 1998 helping only a few families and continues as one of the efforts of the St. Henry’s Mission Outreach Committee. Any family is helped on a request-only basis. They then have a five year window to receive our help during financially-difficult years. We currently get our requests from the district schools, local parishes, and the food shelf through “wish lists” that are distributed in October. All applicants must have ties to Monticello to be eligible. If not, they are referred to a program in their area.
I want to extend a special thank you to all of the area churches that came together to make this project successful. They include: Trinity Lutheran, Resurrection Lutheran, Alive, Community United Methodist, Quarry, Faith Lutheran, and First Baptist Churches. Thank you to the many local businesses who offered both monetary support and family sponsorship, especially Kohl’s Department Store for their volunteers and generous monetary donation.
Support from local businesses and churches is greatly appreciated but alone is not enough to make a project of this size successful year after year. It is you, the individual people within our church, that gave so unselfishly of your time, talent, and treasure to these families. You volunteered to donate supplies, call businesses and families in addition to wrapping, sorting, distributing, & checking-in gifts. You also covered the $4,200 it took to fill the remaining hearts that were left on the tree and the last minute requests from families. I am humbled at the magnitude of your generosity. You are all amazing! Thank you just doesn’t seem to be enough.
Lastly, I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to our office staff for the countless ways you supported this project.
We’d love to have all of your help again in 2012!
Sandy Rousslang
St. Henry’s Mission Outreach
“Whatsoever you do to the least of my people that you do unto me.” (Matthew 25:40)
