Calaveras County, CA…Volunteer community groups will be out in force December 7th and 8th collecting money for the annual “Christmas to Remember” which provides students in need the opportunity to purchase new clothing for the winter season. “We have phenomenal support from our communities, and the pride on the children’s faces when they go shopping is even better. It really reminds us of the true spirit of giving,” said Mark Campbell, Calaveras Unified School District superintendent and a co-chairperson with Gene Weatherby of Mokelumne Hill.
Members of the West Calaveras Rotary, and the Lions Clubs of Mokelumne Hill, West Point and San Andreas will be taking monetary donations from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. both December 7 and 8. This fundraising effort is in conjunction with an Amador County co-hort on the same days. Money donated at the Calaveras County locations will go toward students in Calaveras Unified School District.
Donation locations include: In front of MarVal and Sender’s in Valley Springs, Wells Fargo Bank in San Andreas, Mokelumne Hill at the corner of highways 49 and 26, and in front of the West Point Post Office. Donations may also be made at any school office in CUSD. Any checks may be made out to “Christmas to Remember,” a federally approved non-profit organization.
“One hundred percent of the donations go back to the kids,” said Campbell. A warm winter coat, sturdy shoes, socks and underwear are always first on the shopping lists. Students from Calaveras High School accompany the elementary students on shopping day the following week, making sure the children get the sizes and items suggested by their parents. Teenage recipients are given a $100 voucher they can only use on clothing items. Kmart in Jackson provides a 10% discount on all purchases the students make on shopping day. “Last year, 142 students were able to go shopping for warm, new clothing due to the generosity of donors to Christmas to Remember,” said Campbell.