Reprint from the Progress Times - December 14, 2007
©Progress Times 2007 - All Rights Reserved

 

Christmas efforts in Mission focus on children

This year various groups in and around the Mission area have been hard at work making sure this Christmas is a special one for local children. From church groups to school administrations, Mission residents have donated not just gifts but time in making sure as many children as possible have a memorable holiday season.

The SkillsUSA Cosmetology class is just such a group. Along with Auto Technology and Building Trades classes at Mission High School, the Cosmetology class is organizing the Third Annual Christmas Merienda, providing Christmas gifts for needy families whose children attended Mission schools.

Families are pre-selected, according to need, and invited to the Merienda on December 18, where they will be served refreshments and receive gifts. The high school folklorico group and drama club will perform for the families.

The community is invited to donate items to be given to the families at the event. Items sought include clothes of all sizes, bicycles, tricycles, toys and canned food.

Minnie Rodgers, cosmetology instructor and a coordinator for the Merienda, said it is sad that some children won’t receive a doll for Christmas. Rodgers said, "This is an opportunity for us to bring some cheer and happiness to children who otherwise probably wouldn’t have much of a Christmas."

To make a donation or for more information, contact Rodgers at 802-8645 before December 18. Clothing donations should be clean, neatly folded and in good condition. Monetary donations will also be accepted.

Another group hard at work this Christmas season is the Mission Boys and Girls Club who will be having their annual Children’s Christmas Party December 22.

The party is a culmination of the efforts of not only the Boys and Girls Club, but also the junior class at Mission High School who works to raise and donate gifts for the Boys and Girls Club members.

This year, eight children from each school in Mission will also be invited to the party. The children are selected by each school’s administration based on need.

Club director Omar Garcia says the event is something he looks forward to every year.

"It’s a great feeling," said Garcia. "The first year was the most memorable because we had a lot of gifts and saw a lot of kids. We had so many gifts left over that myself and four other staff members loaded our trucks and took the gifts to the colonias and handed them out. It was awesome."

Garcia asks that anyone who would like to help by donating a wrapped present please give the Boys and Girls Club in Mission a call at 240-3362.

Members of Saint Paul’s Catholic Church in Mission have already held a Christmas party of their own.

On Tuesday, December 11, 178 special education children gathered at the church for an annual Christmas party with a special guest.

In 1988, members of the church put on the first of these parties and invited special education children from Mission schools to come and celebrate with them. Now, almost 20 years later, the event has become the highlight of the year for many kids.

Beginning in September, members of the church begin  making calls to schools in the Mission and Sharyland districts and request lists of what each special education child would like to receive for Christmas. A couple months later and children from all around the area descend on the small church for music, snacks and the all-important visit from Santa who then calls each child by name and gives them exactly what they’ve asked for.

Rosa Farias, chairman of the Special Ed Christmas Party group, says the key is being specific with the gifts.

"We try to get as close as possible because we want them to see that Santa has gotten them exactly what they’ve asked for," said Farias.

Alma Riola, who also volunteers to make the party come alive, says the looks on the faces of the children is worth all the work.

"It’s very rewarding to do something to make a child happy," said Riola.

One child who’s fighting for much more than simply a happy Christmas is Juan L. Garica Jr. Juan, an eight-year-old second grader at Chapa Elementary in La Joya, was born with Downs Syndrome, a congenital heart defect and an abnormal kidney. When Juan was hospitalized for a third attempt at correcting problems stemming from his congenital heart defect, there were complications due to his kidneys.

Those complications have kept the young boy and his father in Corpus Christie at Driscoll Children’s Hospital for months.

However, Juan’s absence hasn’t gone unnoticed.

Through the efforts of Lisa Requenez, a diagnostician for the La Joya school district, and entire staff of LJISD, Juan and his family will be getting quite a gift this year.

"We were trying to figure out how to help the family so we came up with this campaign and were given approval from Dr. Benavides, the Superintendent at La Joya," said Requenez.

The unique campaign is an effort to sell pins that say "Blue Jeans for Juan". Every teacher that purchased the pin, priced at $10, got permission to wear blue jeans to work for the entire week of December 10 through the 14.

According to Requenez, about 20 campuses in the district are participating in the campaign.

Requenez says she has been overwhelmed at the response of the district and the community.

"I’m estimating we’ve already raised around $10,000. I’ve been getting donations for $50 and even $100 at a time," said Requenez. "Basically, this just started as an email with Juan’s picture and a brief bio. Some principals and clerks took it upon themselves to make copies and put it in everyone’s boxes. I’ve been really surprised at the response where people really took the initiative to push this cause and what it was for."

Juan is currently still at Driscoll Hospital. Last week  his teacher and one of the LJISD counselors paid him a visit and reported that he is conscious and able to give a few responses.

Mission CISD is also getting into the Christmas spirit of giving by coordinating a clothing drive and distribution.

Omar Chavez, coordinator for the Migrant and Parental Involvement Department, said several of the schools have held clothing drives and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has donated several bales of clothing for distribution to needy families.

The department is planning to distribute the clothing on December 8.