Our day started with checking to see what damaged we sustained during last nights wind and rain storm. NO damage to report. Not so much as a cracked light bulb on the Christmas lights.
Yes, we did have a window leak but that can be fixed by pulling out dried out caulking and putting in new. An easy fix.
After line dancing I got our laundry for the week out of the way.
This afternoon Bob went to VA Hospital in Tucson, with our friend Richard, to get his info updated in the military healthcare system and to get a new ID card made. He is now updated in the system and will receive healthcare at no cost to us because of his 33 years of service to his country. Well, no cost to us until Social Security kicks in which will take us over the financial limit for “no cost to us”. At least our co-pay will be very reasonable.
While he was in Tucson I joined 14 other Quail Run residents for an afternoon of wrapping Christmas presents that will be given to the children of Arizona City next Saturday at the Christmas party.
We gathered at Val Champa’s house in Arizona City and lugged huge boxes of toys of all types to our work stations.
Val and her elves started shopping in early October and have bought nearly 600 toys. Dolls, footballs, building blocks, games of all sorts, bats and balls and trains, tool belts with matching hard hats, toy robots and microscopes,,,,you name it, we wrapped it.
Each box held toys for either boys or girls and then they were further broken down by age group. Each box was assigned its own wrapping paper so that on party day it would be easy to tell what sex/age group the gift belonged in.
We got right to work when we arrived. Jean B. wrapping the first of many.
Sharing the workspace with her was Jean A.
As games were wrapped the words, “I had this game!” were heard more than once. Some of the wrappers, such as Kathy here, took the time to check the new toys out.
Ann, a returning workamper from last year, used the top of the hot tub for her workspace.
Dale had a smile all day long as she worked on her pile of presents.
Val looks on as Carol W. wraps.
Marlene wanted this tool set for herself!
All the while we were wrapping there was Christmas music playing on the radio and quite a few times we all joined in and sang while we measured, cut and taped the paper.
How many Quail Run’ners does it take to wrap a package?
It was time for a break. Val provided lots of snacks and drinks to give us energy to keep going until the very last gift was wrapped.
On party day, next Saturday, a local moving company will show up at Val’s house early in the morning. They’ll load up the large boxes of wrapped Christmas gifts and take them to Duffer’s Restaurant located at the Arizona City Golf Course. They’ll be unloaded and put in place by the elves who will hand the appropriate gift to Santa Claus, Quail Run’s own Al Winters, to give out to the little kids who will come for the party. Duffer’s Restaurant donates the space for the party and Sysco Foods provides the snacks given out to the kids and volunteers. It takes a lot of people to put on a party of this size. Besides Santa, there are the elves, the gift wrappers, the shoppers, the movers, the decoration makers, those who run the golf tournament fundraiser and the personnel at Duffer’s and probably more that I don’t know who they are or what they do, and we all follow the directions of one very special lady. Val. Without her, none of this would happen. We applaud you Val and we’re happy to help you!
Val shared with us that many individuals and groups have come forward and volunteered to do the wrapping of the gifts. Each is nicely turned away and told that all the wrapping is done by winter residents from Quail Run and that that won’t change until we don’t want to do it anymore. I don’t think that will ever happen.
When the day was done, this group of fifteen snowbirds wrapped five hundred and ninety six toys. In three hours. Are we good or what !?!
This is the third year I’ve been involved in this and its a day I look forward to. Is it because its such a “feel good” thing to do? Sure, it is. Is it the time spent with friends that makes it so special? Okay, I’ll go with that. So what does make it so special? I’m glad you asked. The answer to that question is ……VAL’S COOKIES! They are to die for!
2 comments:
Thank you for being there. Wish that I was with you. Hopefully next year.
Awesome job! Your post would cause anyone to want to join the elves in this project.
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