2009 Toy Give-a-Away

What a long last work week of 2009. I typically only work Monday through Thursday, which leaves Friday as a community day. This past week DICP held its annual Toy Give-a-Away on Friday December 18th. Since it is our big Christmas event it meant that we would need quite a few volunteers and to top off all of that the guy who usually runs it broke his leg about three week ago. Needless to says this means I worked Friday, as planned but was trying to figure things out on the fly. Now don't get me wrong all of our staff was around doing what they usually do for the event but it was very crazy for me with it being my first time at the event. Here’s a recap of the day:

Once Friday rolled around I woke up bright and early (6am) and headed down to the parish to make sure everything was in order. Upon my arrival I looked around the corner to find over 100 people waiting in line for their tickets. The first person in line had arrived at 6pm the night before making sure to get the best spot. So the way the day works, people line up and beginning at 7am one of our staff begin to hand out tickets to those in line. The calling of the tickets started at 9am starting with the first ticket and person and ending with the last, whose ticket number was in the 400’s. (Very clever I know.) In order for the families to get tickets they have to have legal documentation for each child and each child only gets one gift each. So the grandma and the parent can't come and get gifts for the same children. The day began very smoothly, all of our volunteer elves showed up and the seniors program had the coffee and food ready to go. Now our volunteers elves help our ticket holders find gifts for their children. Before they can come back to pick gifts, two of our staff members call out ticket numbers and fill out a slip for the guardian/ parent that shows how many kids, which gender and age of each child that the guardian will “shop” for. Once that is filled out an elf brings the guardian back and helps them find gifts for each child on their slip.

On Friday December 18th the Denver Inner City Parish served over 400 families and had collected 3,700 toys. In a year when even Toys for Tots is down in total toys collected, it is truly amazing to say that I was part of an agency that was able to make a difference for so many children and families at one of my favorite times of year.

Tugs at the heart strings

So while I grew up it took many years to talk my dad into letting us adopt cats and eventually we moved on to dogs. Man I love my dogs and I really miss them.

One thing I have noticed since I moved to Denver is the amount of stray dogs just wandering the streets. It reminds me of being in Lima, Peru, an international city. I have no idea why there are so many here in Denver but every time I see one it pulls at my heart strings. Like a month ago when I was out walking with Meghan and we saw one almost get hit by a car in the middle of the street, or today while I was waiting for the bus for work and there was one limping around like one of its back legs was hurt. Every time I see one, doesn't matter the size or how matted their fur is, I just want to take them in and give them a hug and a bath. I guess it bothers me so much because you don't think about it being a problem here in the US.

Favorite time of year

So as Christmas draws near I can't help from feeling far from home. I have settled in very nicely here in Denver and the housemates and I even bought a fake Christmas tree and some ornaments to liven up the place but it can't quite fill the gap of the traditions from home. This is my favorite time of year, all of the anticipation, the decorating, the family time and knowing what to expect. For the first time ever I wasn't home for Thanksgiving and realized that I was going to miss spending Advent Sundays at my home church of Broadstreet.

It was just yesterday during our community day that we were talking about the fact that advent hasn't always been a celebration. For a long time it was a somber time of year, a time of anticipation and uncertainty and I feel like I can connect to that. Although I am thankful for everyone here who has made this feel like a second home, it can't replace almost 25 years of tradition. I come home in just over one week and can't wait! I know that my excitement is shared by those I love who are waiting for my return but I also know how hard my transition will be when its time to say goodbye and return to my new home. I look forward to seeing all you back home and know that when I return Denver it will be to the open and welcoming arms of the new traditions and additions to my life.

So for loved ones near and far, friends new and old I wish you Happy Holidays and thank you for all of your support. Here is a toast to fond memories and new traditions waiting to be made. All my love during my favorite time of year.