Christmas Charity 2013
It’s getting colder, and if you’re young or young at heart, that means Christmas is not far away. Christmas, for most of us, has become a day off from work, a chance to get something from somebody special, and time to hang out with family members you rarely get to see; oh, and eat good food. There are the Christmas songs on the radio (they start before Halloween now!) and the lights and decorations - all that stuff that reminds you of the wonderment of being a kid in December. Not every kid has that experience. We grow up hearing about “starving kids in Africa” or “China” or wherever our mother chooses to mention when we won’t eat our dinner; but rarely do we actually think of that as a reality. Operation Christmas ChildLast year, Paul and Gail (our CEO & VP) brought in shoeboxes for everyone from Samaritan’s Purse as part of a church initiative for “Operation Christmas Child.” Read about our effort last year here (rightfully, our most popular blog post of 2012). OCC is – like it sounds – an effort to give every child on earth something for Christmas. Participants fill shoeboxes with toys and gifts and note the age and gender, shipping it off via distributors to faraway places. By registering your shoebox online, you can even track exactly where it went. Last year, mine went to Madagascar! The photos on the web of the boys and girls receiving the boxes are priceless! I always get emotional looking at them. They are so overjoyed with so little, it really puts the rest of the world to shame. Pay It ForwardI encourage you to participate in “Operation Christmas Child” (click here for more info on their website) and charities like it both global and local this holiday season. And get your whole office involved! We were all moved by the initiative, especially since it came from our bosses. It definitely changed my Christmas for the better. That’s why Poe and I were the first ones to finish our box this year. Let’s do a little something this year – as a team and community – to help the less fortunate have a very Merry Christmas. |
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