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Monday, March 18, 2024
March 18, 2024

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Lions make holidays bright

By , Columbian Education Reporter
Published:
3 Photos
Fifth-grader Amy Shook hugs a stuffed bear as volunteer Renee Rhyasen helps her shop for gifts at Washington Elementary on Thursday.
Fifth-grader Amy Shook hugs a stuffed bear as volunteer Renee Rhyasen helps her shop for gifts at Washington Elementary on Thursday. Photo Gallery

Washington Elementary School’s Santa’s shop

Family Community Resource Center, 2908 S St. Contact: Carla Feltz, 360-313-3050 or carla.feltz@vansd.org

Fort Vancouver Lions Club, P.O. Box 701, Vancouver, WA 98666 or the Lions’ website.

Service organization helps ensure Washington Elementary students, families have Christmas gifts

Waiting in a long line to talk with Santa makes most kids antsy. Now throw in the chance to pick out a cuddly stuffed animal to take home plus shop for presents for your family and top it off with a candy cane.

That level of anticipation was too much for first-grader Aubryannah McMillan on Thursday morning as she waited her turn to enter Santa’s Shop at Washington Elementary School.

Washington Elementary School's Santa's shop

Family Community Resource Center, 2908 S St. Contact: Carla Feltz, 360-313-3050 or <a href="mailto:carla.feltz@vansd.org">carla.feltz@vansd.org</a>

Fort Vancouver Lions Club, P.O. Box 701, Vancouver, WA 98666 or the Lions' website.

She hopped on one foot, and then the other. She wiggled her arms. Then she wiggled her entire body. When Santa’s elf nodded and said she could enter Santa’s Shop, she burst through the door and plopped onto the bench next to Santa.

The library/media center had been transformed into Santa’s Shop for the event that has occurred annually for more than a dozen years. Supported by Fort Vancouver Lions Club, parent and community volunteers, the event makes it possible for the school’s 370 students to choose Christmas gifts for their families. The 20 preschoolers who attend the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program at the school were included, too.

The need is great for the students at Washington Elementary, where 88 percent of the students’ families qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Without this effort, these kids may not have Christmas presents.

Parent volunteer Susan Arnot photographed each child sitting next to Santa. Then a volunteer elf stepped forward to be the personal shopper for each child.

Students selected gifts for siblings and parents. Throughout the library, long tables were stacked with gifts: Beanie Babies, Nerf balls, juggling balls, cars and trucks, dinosaurs, dolls and much more.

Caleb King, 11, stood at the cars and trucks table and chose a gift for his little brother, Conner.

For parents, there were headphones, pliers, tape measures and gloves.

For moms and big sisters, there was a jewelry counter. Diana Olds, Fort Vancouver Lions volunteer, helped kids choose the perfect gift. Olds has been volunteering at the event for at least six years, she said. She collects jewelry for the event throughout the year.

“People know I do this, and they give jewelry to me for the kids,” she said.

Giving back

The Fort Vancouver Lions have adopted Washington Elementary. On Thursday, there were 21 volunteers, and Wednesday, 16 volunteers helped organize Santa’s Shop for business.

Martha Johnson, a Lion who is retired from working in district schools, leads the Santa’s Shop volunteers. Her daughter, Amy Hegewald, another Lion, worked alongside her mom.

“They come out in droves,” Johnson said. “They love to help.”

Volunteers sorted 1,400 gifts plus 700 stuffed animals. Goodwill donated about half of the stuffed animals. Others were purchased. Volunteers washed the stuffed animals and Goodwill fumigated them, Johnson said.

Lions member Gerald Jacobus, who attended the original Washington Elementary from 1943 to 1949, spent part of his 78th birthday Thursday volunteering at his old school.

“I’ve always lived in this neighborhood,” Jacobus said. “I love helping the kids.”

Even Santa is a Lion. He’s Steve Seymour from the Ridgefield Lions. His wife, Gail Seymour, one of Santa’s elves, helped each child settle down next to Santa for a photo.

Students brought their gifts to their classrooms where teachers and volunteers helped wrap them.

“Five golden rings!” sang Anna Probst, 10, as she gathered her gifts and brought them to the wrapping table where her teacher, Anne Bowling, cut swaths of colorful paper and doled out tape to her students.

Anna went straight to work wrapping her mother’s gift in candy cane wrapping paper.

After the school day, volunteers counted, sorted and stored for next year’s event. Then the school’s staff provided a potluck to thank the volunteers.

Great need

In the school’s Family Community Resource Center, Carla Feltz supervised distributing boxes brimming with wrapped gifts for 80 families who are struggling to meet basic needs. On their application forms to request gifts for their children, many adults asked for shoes and winter coats, said Feltz, who manages the center.

Share distributed food backpacks Tuesday. But families must feed their kids without the benefit of school breakfasts and lunches for two weeks over winter break. Gifts and food boxes were donated by First United Methodist Church, Summit View Church, Memorial Lutheran Church, Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church, the KGW Toy Drive and many private donors.

“We have phenomenal community support,” Feltz said. “It’s pretty humbling to see how generous people are.”

Some students live in the Courtyard Village Apartments, which have been in the news recently when 16 low-income families who live in the run-down apartment complex near the school were notified that they’d have to vacate by the end of the month. The new property owner plans to renovate the units and raise the rents. After community push back, the new owner, MF Parc Central, is now giving those families until Jan. 15, if they discuss their hardship with management.

Feltz said that two Courtyard Village families have secured new apartments. Deposits were paid Thursday, she said.

“We’ve had a surge of need with the Courtyard Village Apartments situation,” Feltz said. “But I knew the community would respond. Working here gives you a lot of perspective on life and now fortunate we are.”

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