Page 6 - WWW-3RiversDec2014

6SS • What Women Want • An Advertising Supplement to the Three Rivers Edition of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette • Sunday, December 14, 2014
PHOTO BY CHERYL WEAVER OF ZOË PHOTOGRAPHIC GROUP
Heather Glenn holds a small silver angel ornament like the ones given to those who return gifts purchased for a child as part of the Searcy Junior Auxiliary’s annual Angel Tree project. Glenn headed the effort for the first time in 2012 and made a drastic impact on the outcome of the project.
a better Christmas for children Searcy woman makes beneficial changes to Junior Auxiliary Angel Tree as two-year project chair
BY WENDY MILLER SPECIAL SECTIONS WRITER
Christmas morning is typically a joyous time for children. Waking up early and tearing into the neatly tied ribbons and securely taped wrapping paper to find gifts they had requested from Santa can help to make for some of
the fondest memories many have of childhood. Unfortunately, not all children are guaranteed that glorious morning full of gifts.
duplicates and so many opportunities for us to get with the other counselors and agencies in town that do the same good work we do,” Boyd said.
Because of a simple crosschecking system, the Ju- nior Auxiliary’s annual number of adoptable angels dropped from more than 400 to around 250, which is something that Molly Hale — fellow Junior Auxiliary member and 2014 chairwoman of the project — said makes the outcome more realistic and prevents some families from receiving multiple sets of gifts, while others get none.
“The number of children dropped dramatically, and not because of less children being served, but because of less duplicates, and that is amazing,” said Hale, who also served as Glenn’s co-chair last year. “It is a lot easier to fulfill 250 children’s wishes and needs with great gifts versus 400 and only getting them their needs and only one or two of their wants.”
Joining forces with other organizations not only affected the outcome of the project; it served as mo- tivation for all involved.
“It is a source of encouragement for each other,” Glenn said. “It is a stressful time of year, and every- body is busy. We’re all in it together.”
Glenn didn’t stop there. Because the Junior Aux- iliary’s 32 active members and 10 provisional mem- bers are only able to set up a table at one location in town, Glenn stepped out of that box and reached out to local banks to see if a couple of trees could be kept in their reception areas to create additional access points for the community. Sure enough, by the end of her second year as chairwoman, at least one branch of every bank in Searcy had an Angel Tree in
Many of those children in the Searcy area — avail- able for Christmas “adoption” — are represented by a small label with a name, age and a list of needs and wants. That information is collected from local school districts and agencies that then distribute the information among organizations in the community that help to ensure that those kids’ Christmas morn- ings are bright.
One of those organizations — the Junior Auxiliary of Searcy — plays host each year to the Angel Tree project, where children are signified by small, sil- ver, angel-shaped ornaments hung on hand-painted Christmas trees. Community members are asked to choose an “angel” and purchase their needs and at least two of their wants as gifts. Once the volunteers return their gifts to the Junior Auxiliary, they receive one of the angel ornaments.
Although the Angel Tree project has been a sta- ple in the Christmas season in Searcy, 32-year-old Heather Glenn of Searcy stepped into the role of project chairwoman in 2012. She continued to head the project the following year and brought with her some improvements that helped to modernize the project and make a larger impact in the community.
“By nature, I am an organizer, and when I see a need, I jump in,” Glenn said.
During Glenn’s time as chairwoman of the project, she noticed a few things that could make the effort more effective. From boosting community involve- ment to simply eliminating duplicated children’s information, these seemingly subtle modifications led to more children having a Christmas full of gifts provided by the project.
“[Heather took] a project that was near and dear to her heart that hadn’t faltered at all, but she simply improved upon it,” said Emily Boyd, president of the Junior Auxiliary of Searcy. “She took something and made it work for the more-modern Junior Auxiliary.”
First, Glenn got involved with the other organiza- tions in town that have a similar mission. By doing so, she was able to “compare notes” and dismiss any children that were already on another organization’s list. Unbeknown to Boyd and Glenn, the other or- ganizations had been sharing information for quite some time.
“Heather was the one who got us involved, and without Heather bringing it to light, I don’t think we would have realized that there were so many