Each holiday season, the Children's Home Society sees groups and individuals go far beyond the basics to help the Society's children and families in need. Please join with us in recognizing just a few of the many efforts taking place during the 2006 holiday season.

Employees at CASCI committed to sponsoring 15 Charleston Child and Family Services' families, donating new toys, small appliances and clothing for each. On December 15th, the CASCI group delivered new clothing and toys valued at $4,500 to supply the 45 children they agreed to sponsor this year. The Golden Oldies put in an appearance on the same day with new toys valued at $1,550 for shelter residents and families served by the Society.
On December 21st, St. Albans High School students and staff delivered gifts valued at $3,000 for the 12 children they were sponsoring.
On December 22nd, the St. Mary’s Church in Boone County hosted a party for shelter youth with gifts for each “guest of honor” ranging from board games through gift cards and on to video games.
On December 23rd, Executive Air sponsored a party for Davis Shelter residents, gifting each youth with cash, gift cards, video games, clothing and other items. They also left behind 5 turkeys for the shelter’s holiday dinners.
Many other group and individual gifts were received to add lots of glitter to the holidays for our children in care and allowing our staff to supply 139 families with things they both needed and wanted. The grand total of the in-kind and monetary donations totals at just under $49,000.

The Service Clubs at Greenbrier East High School “adopted” 57 children served by the Society’s programs providing clothes, toys, shoes, diapers, books, winter coats and stereos. The Lewisburg area Dollar General Stores collected toys for clients in the Right From The Start andWE CAN programs. Several individuals thoughtfully added to this stack of presents.
Shoney’s provided breakfast for Lewisburg Shelter residents on Christmas Eve morning. Shoney’s staff donated portable CD players for residents. Residents also had a very special night on the town with dinner at Applebee’s and a trip to the performance of “The Nutcracker” at the Greenbrier Valley Theatre.
The aunt of one of the Right From The Start social workers is an author. She donated copies of her latest book to shelter residents. Her publisher donated additional books to the shelter in proportion to the number of the author’s books sold locally.

Unexpected gifts showed up under that fine tree such as the 25 sets of handmade hats, mittens and scarves followed by the 3 dozen little pairs of slippers with bears and moose lodged on top.
The more than 50 WE CAN kids attended several parties—one thrown by the Bonner Scholars at Concord University, another sponsored by Burke Memorial Church, and yet another put on by the women of Bland Street United Methodist Church. The bottom line was food, games and gifts galore delivered by several Santa's and volunteers.

Martinsburg:
Martinsburg Shelter residents attended a festive Christmas party at the Rodeway Inn hosted by the Family Resource Network. The Christmas party at the shelter involved opportunities for residents to make and decorate Christmas cookies. They used the opportunity to chow down on the cookies to swiftly consume the evidence of this party.

Shelter Supervisor, Jennifer Reed, and Relief LPN, Kenna Carty, doubled as Santa’s official helpers to deliver gifts to several recently discharged residents in the Martinsburg area. Admin Assistant Bonnie Lundberg may have had the most fun filling in for Mrs. Claus when she made a Christmas Eve delivery of a bicycle to a local foster child.
The Martinsburg programs extend their thanks and deep appreciation to the many businesses, organizations and individuals who helped deliver a fine holiday with good memories for families and children in care. That Business and Organization list includes Outback Restaurant and Citicorp, the General Motors Women’s Committee, St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church, and the Arden United Methodist Men.
Bridgett Magnetti and Friends are long-term donors to our programs. This year they provided a new range for the shelter as well as gifts for children.
Adoptive parents, Dale and Tara Oliver, along with some of their friends were back for their second go-round of providing gifts for children in care.
Other individuals qualifying as Certified Christmas Elves include Cliff Mount and Rosemarie Truman, Amber Frye’s 8th Grade Class at South Middle School, Fred Brehm and Katie Day, Jack and Sandra Clark, Kimberly and Kevin Ramsberg, Toni Palmer, Ron Smizek, Ellajean and Rodney King, and Terry Jacques.

Morgantown:
The Chestnut Ridge Community Church, along with Jeff Hostettler of the Hoss Foundation, the West Virginia University Basketball team and the Chic Fil A cow were on hand—with gifts—for Morgantown’s December 19th Christmas party for foster children and in-home services children.

The December 20th Foster Care party held at St. John’s Catholic Church was stocked with gifts from Toy Mountain and food from Pizza Hut, Domino’s Pizza, Mountaineer Pizza, Wal-Mart, Backwoods Grill, In and Out Convenience Store, Boston Beanery, Pepsi Cola, McDonald’s, and a local Exxon station. Between the two, all families went home well supplied with toys and other necessary items for the holidays.
The Morgantown staff, their families and community members also made sure they were able to help 31 Preston County “Forgotten Angels” this season.

Global Outreach Ministries in Bluefield saw to it that each shelter resident received a $40 Wal-Mart gift card plus hats and gloves. Verizon provided P.J.’s and books for each resident.

The shelter residents also enjoyed gifts donated from a new community supporter – Prudential Preferred Homes. The agents at the local Prudential office asked for “wish lists” from each child and then purchased the majority of the items from each list! The youth received a variety of gifts, including: clothing, coats, tennis shoes, iPod’s, baseball hats, and the like. Prudential also donated a beautiful Christmas tree.
Verizon donated pajama sets and Alpha Kappa Delta Teacher’s Sorority gave school and craft supplies as gifts. Steve and Joyce Mestemacher, returning donors, donated fleece blankets, Christmas pillows, our holiday dinner and they gave Christmas centerpieces to the shelter staff. In addition, the 36 th Street Church of Christ invited the staff and residents to the church for a Christmas party including dinner, hand made blankets and gift cards.
We would also like to extend a warm thank you to the following groups/individuals for their generous financial contributions this holiday season: Western Hills Employee Activities, Suddenlink, Gihon CEOS Club, Cedar Grove United Methodist Church, 7 th Street United Methodist Church, United Methodist Women of Stout Memorial United Methodist Church, John and Pam ela Piersol, Tom and Sunny Murray, Stephen and Regena Nulter . Combined, these folks donated over $2,000 to the shelter this holiday season!

Huntington :
Without a doubt, it’s people who make Christmas happen for the Underwood Shelter and its residents.
The members of four local churches, Peaceful Valley Freewill Baptist in Culloden, Union Chapel in Lesage, Christ the King Lutheran in Huntington and the First Baptist Church in Ceredo, saw to it tht the shelter received blankets, backpacks, games, hats and gloves, scarves and stocking stuffers. The Girl Scout Troop at St. Joe’s provided us with totally filled stockings.

Christmas for Kids in the Community donated over $1,000 in gifts including food and a pizza party for residents. Their gifts went nicely with the $1,000 in Wal-Mart gift cards we received from United Steelworkers Union, Local 37.
Foodfair in Huntington began the holiday season by supporting our sale of fundraising raffle tickets in addition to selling Little Red Stockings. They hosted a balloon pop—and sold chances on that activity—prior to the drawing of the winning raffle ticket.
Long-time contributor and new advisory council member, Carolyn Lansdale, first visited the shelter to get a better feel for what we needed. Then she went shopping. When she returned to us with a stack of needed purchases, she added a $2,000 gift to the pile.
Staff and their families added to our holiday havoc. Shift Supervisor Joan Sansom’s son and daughter-in-law’s church provided over $1,000 of those not-so-glamorous, but always needed, socks, underwear, sweats, and other supplies.
Shelter Social Worker Amanda Sander’s mother works at the Jon Amos plant. She raised over $1,500 for the Shelter collecting donations at the plant entrance.
Shelter Social Worker Bryan Sweeney’s church, Union Baptist in Milton, got Little Red Stocking fever when they sold more than $250 in Little Red Stockings to the members of the congregation and other friends.
Relief Youth Service Worker Rob Davis phoned home for advice and help on December 22nd when he learned that a major donor of specific gifts for residents was not able to follow through. Rob’s parents, Cherie and Terry Davis of Rainelle, speedily deposited $1,000 to Rob’s checking account with instructions that he buy the missing gifts for shelter residents.

Romney:
Christmas at the Romney Shelter centered around the beautiful Christmas tree donated by Mr. Neil Grapes. The tree was joined by the gifts of many donors who have become reliable friends over the years. This year’s returning donors included the Christ Community Church, Bloomery Presbyterian Church, the Ladies of the Central CEOS Club, Faith Mission Church, and the Delray Christian Church. Each group provided our children with wonderful gifts for under the tree, food items, and gift cards.

We added some new “Santas” this year including Tony Torboli who provided still more gifts for the big day, Lilly and Edward Platter who gave us three cases of fruit, Robert and Brenda Combs of the Oak Grove Church of the Brethren who gave us gifts and phone cards, Joellen Halterman who donated craft kits and gifts, Cari Brown who donated food and clothing, and the First Baptist Church of Romney and Verizon, both of whom donated P.J.s and books.
By Christmas morning, Mr. Grapes’ gift tree was surrounded with gifts for our children from people in our community who act on behalf of children in need.