This article was originally published in The Examiner on Dec. 28, 2017.
By Eleanor Skelton
Staff Writer
One resident at Girls’ Haven said she opened a Christmas present for the first time in her life at the Christmas bash on Tuesday, Dec. 19.
The girl said that she had gotten gift cards from relatives, but never something that could be unwrapped.
“It’s amazing,” she said. “Even though I know Santa Claus is not real, it’s still amazing.”
She said she is almost 16, and she has been living at Girls’ Haven for five months.
“I don’t know how to explain it,” she said, when asked about unwrapping a gift
for the first time.
American Valve and Hydrant donated all of the girls’ presents, Girls’ Haven Director of Development Jade Rayburn said.
“They got a wish list for each of the girls,” she said. “Basically bought everything on their wish list.”
Girls’ Haven human resources director Pam Young said she estimated that well over 300 gifts were donated, and employees could pick gifts off the girls’ wish lists in the office.
Each girl got 10-20 gifts, according to Girls’ Haven human resources assistant Scarlett McWilliams.
“The employees that we have are extremely generous,” American Valve and Hydrant buyer Daneen Hebb said.
American Valve and Hydrant holds company raffles throughout the year for popular items like Yeti coolers and Schlitterbahn tickets to fund charitable causes like this.
Nearly 200 employees raised $2,963 through raffles, before wish list donations, McWilliams said. This outreach is part of the American Leadership Association, she said, which also donates to Boys’ Haven, Buckner Children’s Village and Some Other Place.
The company has also taken employees on tours of Girls’ Haven to show the purpose behind the fundraisers and who the gifts are benefitting, she said.
In addition to their wish list, the company gave each girl a Kindle Fire tablet, a $25 movie theater gift card and a $25 gift card to their favorite store, McWilliams said.
Hebb added that one employee bought a pair of Jordans on one of the girls’ wish
lists, a Nike shoe with a list price around $100.
“[This] inspired me to be better and when I get older, I want to help kids like this,” a 15-year-old girl said.
“They’re giving them a full Christmas,” Rayburn said. “By doing this, our girls know they’re loved and supported. With 24 girls, [Christmas is] very expensive.”
“They’re just near and dear to us because we hear them outside playing,” McWilliams said, explaining that American Valve and Hydrant is located around the corner from the nonprofit.
“When you have the ability to bless other people, then you should,” Hebb said.
Eleanor Skelton 