Palmetto Parent 2009 November Issue : Page 11
Alternative gifts can help your family give and give back — and provide a greater meaning to the holiday season Story by Chris Worthy Photos by Cindy Hosea perfectpresent The Come Christmas morning, some Co- lumbia residents will fi nd a bit of Creighton Boggs’ hard work and passion for animals under their tree. Boggs’, a 15-year-old Dreher High School student, runs All 4 Paws, collecting money and supplies for Columbia’s Animal Mission, a nonprofi t organization that sup- ports the city’s animal shelter. Boggs participated in an alternative gift fair at St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church, giving shoppers the opportunity to help animals through a gift in honor of someone else. With gift-givers seeking to maximize their spending and nonprofi t organizations suff ering from the economic downturn, giving alternative gifts could serve a dual purpose and provide an even greater mean- ing to the holiday season. “Eventually, material things wear out,” Boggs said. “But when you give to the Animal Mission or some other charity, it’s a gift that keeps on giving. Not only does it show the Creighton Boggs, a 15-year-old Dreher High School student, runs All 4 Paws, a nonprofi t organization that supports the city’s animal shelter. LEFT, FAR LEFT: St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church held its an- nual alternative gift fair on Oct. 31. PHOTOS SUBMITTED November 2009 www.palmettoparent.com Palmetto Parent 11
The Perfect Present
Chris Worthy
Alternative gifts can help your family give and give back — and provide a greater meaning to the holiday season
Come Christmas morning, some Columbia residents will find a bit of Creighton Boggs’ hard work and passion for animals under their tree.
Boggs’, a 15-year-old Dreher High School student, runs All 4 Paws, collecting money and supplies for Columbia’s Animal Mission, a nonprofit organization that supports the city’s animal shelter.
Boggs participated in an alternative gift fair at St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church, giving shoppers the opportunity to help animals through a gift in honor of someone else.
With gift-givers seeking to maximize their spending and nonprofit organizations suffering from the economic downturn, giving alternative gifts could serve a dual purpose and provide an even greater meaning to the holiday season.
“Eventually, material things wear out,” Boggs said. “But when you give to the Animal Mission or some other charity, it’s a gift that keeps on giving. Not only does it show the other person that you thought about them, but also that you thought about doing something for the community.”
Tula Henson, Rector of St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church, said her congregation’s annual alternative gift fair encourages shoppers to challenge their traditions in a positive way. The fair was born of her desire and that of others in the church to give purposeful gifts.
“I got to a particular age where I didn’t need any more dust collectors,” Henson said.
She asked those who really wanted to give her a Christmas gift to do so by donating to a charity. Now, the opportunity is extended to the community. This year’s fair, held in October — the event is held in October or November each year — benefited a wide variety of organizations, including Kairos Prison Ministry, Heifer International, Boggs’ charity and others.
Many impact local residents, those “in the shadow of our steeple,” Henson said.
“Nonprofits have an opportunity to set up a table to receive donations and they send out cards to the person it is in honor of,” Henson explained. “As a church, we feel like we need to be involved in the wider community. The church is about supporting one another in these ministries in the wider world. Our society is so disposable. We don’t need any more stuff. There are so many ministries that offer hope and an improved outlook for people.”
Online and catalog shoppers can reach out as well. Ten Thousand Villages, a nonprofit organization that sells items crafted by artisans around the world, promotes the sale of fair trade items through its stores, local festivals and online. The sales allow workers to receive a fair wage for their work when opportunities would otherwise be difficult, if not impossible, to find.
“We work with artisans from 130 groups in 38 countries in Asia, Africa, Latin American and the Middle East,” said Mary Frey, a spokesperson for Ten Thousand Villages.
The organization has 75 branded stores across the country, with a South Carolina presence in Greenville. The organization also has a Web site.
“We include the fair trade sale of jewelry, crafts, gifts, home decor, sculpture — beautiful art pieces,” Frey said. “Our primary mission is alleviating poverty. The commitment is to help artisans in their villages.”
And the items are often made of repurposed or recycled materials as well, reflecting the organization’s efforts to promote environmental sustainability.
“It is the perfect opportunity for gifts that are beautiful and they have that value — it has double meaning,” Frey said.
While many people know the nonprofit Samaritan’s Purse for its Operation Christmas Child shoebox distribution to children around the world, the organization also offers an annual Christmas gift catalog with opportunities for gifts in every price range. The evangelical Christian organization works in more than 100 countries where residents have been impacted by war, poverty, disease or famine.
“It gets down to something as simple as a cup of clean, cold water for a child,” said Jim Loscheider, vice president of donor ministries for Samaritan’s Purse. “Pretty much anything we roll up our sleeves and engage in is meeting critical needs. We reach out in the name of Christ.”
Loscheider said his family’s use of the gift catalog is typical of those who have created new Christmas traditions, though he arrived at his new holiday perspective in an unusual way.
“In 2000, I came to Samaritan’s Purse and my wife and I were on an Operation Christmas Child distribution trip to Kosovo,” he said.
During the trip, Loscheider and his wife passed out gift-filled shoeboxes to children in orphanages and garbage dumps. Many children were hiding and had to be sought out.
“My wife says to me, ‘We need to redefine Christmas from here on out,’” he said. “The gift box was not only the only gift they were receiving that Christmas, but the only gift they had ever received.”
Loscheider now gives a soccer ball, baby chicks, farm tools and more — all in the name of family members who know the gift is helping someone in great need. Other gift opportunities include basic supplies for a fish farm to provide a renewable resource for a family’s income, supplies for a much-needed medical clinic or airfare for a child who needs to travel to the United States for heart surgery.
Loscheider encourages parents to involve their children as well, allowing them to choose where gift money goes.
“It’s one of the most powerful ways to help them understand that we don’t really own it, God owns it,” he said.
And no matter what the organization, the giver and the recipient can know their gift made a difference in the lives of others.
“You are really impacting someone’s life,” Henson said. “Maybe someone you will never meet, but someone whose life may be dependent on that gift.”
Want to know more?
How can your family get involved with alternative gifts this holiday season? Check out these resources:
* All 4 Paws: To learn more about Creighton Boggs and her organization that has raised more than $5,000 for the Columbia Animal Mission, visit www.all4pawscharity.org.
* Samaritan’s Purse: To view the gift catalog online or learn more about Operation Christmas Child and relief and development projects around the world, visit www.samaritanspurse.org.
* Ten Thousand Villages: To shop online or locate festival sales, visit www.tenthousandvillages.com
* St. Timothy’s Episcopal: The church’s alternative gift fair is held in October or November each year. This year’s fair has passed, but for more information, visit www.sainttimothyscolumbia.com.
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