The holidays came quickly this year. Some of you arriving at the Thanksgiving table to also celebrate Chanukah or some leaving the table to start the race to Christmas. Cards had to be sent out, gifts purchased, menus and guest lists prepared. There seemed so little time to get it all together.
Yet for a minute you stopped and took the time to fill a request from an ornament on the Woman’s Club, “Wish Trees”, or perhaps you purchased a gift or gift card and donated it to your child’s school for “Holidays Are For Sharing”. You may have adopted a family in order to provide them with a special Christmas. Maybe you belonged to the PBA, Pack 5 scouts, or FN Junior Brownie troupe and purchased Christmas trees or made ornaments, then delivered them to families who would have gone without. Maybe you worked tirelessly with your organization to raise funds throughout the year and used those funds to donate food gift cards. Perhaps you wrote a check and donated it to the Verona Children’s fund. The time you took and the generosity you shared made a difference. It provided more than food on the table or a gift for the holiday. It provided families in need with hope and a sense that someone cared. Someone who didn’t even know them (donors and recipients are kept confidential) lent a helping hand. Now that is a gift.
Unfortunately there were many families in Verona again this year that were sick, out of work, divorced or simply underemployed. In some cases those families were once able to give but now find themselves in need of help. Sometimes it takes months for a family to recover and sometimes it takes years. However, it has been my experience once they do they give back. At times it is the very child who received who returns to Verona as an adult and provides for another. The gift of giving then comes full circle and is complete. Thank you Verona for being such a wonderfully generous community.
Sincerely
Connie Pifher
Health and Social Services
