The halls of the might not be decked with boughs of holly but they are certainly lined with bags and bags of toys ready to go home to families for the upcoming Christmas holiday.
Center Director Pat Andriole said the response from the community was overwhelming and all 400 children waiting for gifts this Christmas will find them under the tree come Sunday morning.
While gifts for the , which matches each child with a donor, came from many community members and organizations around town, several people standout for year after year. Program coordinator Sharon Patterson said the Counseling Center wants to thanks Tricia Bohan and Artie Dixon who both host holiday parties every year requesting unwrapped gifts for the program. School groups such as the high school’s Horizon’s program collect gifts for the Secret Santa program. BHS senior collected more than 300 presents in the for the Counseling Center as part of her Senior Capstone project.
While it looks as though everyone will have gifts this year, both Andriole and Patterson note that the center is short on clothing for all age groups and gifts for teenagers – the largest growing demographic receiving. If you want to donate, please do so before 5 p.m. tonight night (Weds., Dec. 21).
