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| Saturday, Dec 5 at 6:30-9:00 AM @ UAW in Waterloo |
Sat. Dec 5 at 6:00-9:00 AM @ UAW in Waterloo
Every year, the Cedar Valley Jaycees organize the Gift of Giving event. This occasion involves taking at-risk children in Cedar Valley shopping to purchase holiday (like Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or Chalica) gifts for their family members. Our Kiwanis Rough Risers group has been involved with this wonderful opportunity for many years.
In this event, we take at-risk kids from all backgrounds shopping. These kids from across Cedar Valley deal with many challenges: broken homes, foster children, handicapped, academically challenged, battling illness and financially disadvantaged. These boys and girls are typically from elementary schools.
The event is an early one. We gather the wee shoppers early in the morning, take them to Blains Farm and Fleet before it opens to the public, and return for breakfast and wrapping. We meet at 6:00 in the morning at the United Auto Workers (UAW) hall in Waterloo. Volunteers are matched up with one or two kids and they climb aboard one of the school buses donated for the event.
Blain’s Farm and Fleet opens its doors at 7:00 am for us to go shopping. Each child is given a $35 credit (it varies from year-to-year) and the shopping teams go forth to find gifts for family members using a list each shopper created before the event. This is the best part because the kids and volunteers get to discuss and plan how they can stretch their money to buy important gifts for those they love.
Once everyone has made their purchases, they climb back on the bus and return to the UAW hall by 8:30 where they wrap gifts and enjoy breakfast.
This is a wonderful event. I must admit that it is one of the highlights of my year.
Join us for this wonderful event. You have the option of joining the "wee ones" on their shopping sprees (Shopper) or staying at the UAW to help prepare and serve breakfast (Cook).
If you are interested in signing up for this, go to our Gift of Giving sign-up sheet. If you want to learn more about it, ask a grizzled member and s/he will share the joy with you.
Sat. Dec 5 at 6:00-9:00 AM @ UAW in Waterloo
Photos and Images from CedarValleyJayCees.org
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