Holiday effort reaches children in all three local elementary schools
The far-reaching COVID-19 pandemic didn’t extinguish a long-running Christmas outreach effort done by local firefighters.
In fact, donations collected to fund this year’s Gilmer County Firefighters Christmas for Kids topped last year’s donation total, noted Deputy EMA Director Jeff Statham, a county fireman who’s been involved with the program since its inception.
Christmas for Kids, which serves children in kindergarten-second grade, is normally funded by multiple Fill the Boot Drives in which firefighters stand at entrances to the local Ingle’s and Walmart stores with a rubber uniform boot used to collect contributions.
“We would normally do a couple of days in July and a couple of days in November. This year, because of COVID, we didn’t do the boot drive till November, but we collected more money in November than we did in both drives last year. It was really something to see and the community made it possible,” said Statham.
The program began 12 years ago with Gilmer firefighters bringing toys to Ellijay Primary School (now Clear Creek Elementary), where the gifts were distributed to families in time for Christmas. Since then, it’s branched out to include Ellijay Elementary and Mountain View Elementary School.
Employees of both Gilmer County Public Safety and the Ellijay Fire Department now take part in the boot drives, as well as the shopping and school deliveries that follow, Statham confirmed.
“In the last couple of years, we’ve grown it into (an effort by) the Gilmer County Firefighters, which includes both Ellijay’s and our firefighters. It’s one big unit now and the program is handled by the firefighters, themselves,” he added.
“The Ellijay Fire Department is proud to be a part of this program. To see firefighters from both (departments) come together is a testimony to the men and women who serve our community,” said Ellijay Fire Deputy Chief Mike Dempsey. “Society views firefighters as tough, fearless men and women who we call upon in an emergency. They are, but, over the last 12 years, this program has put smiles on the faces of some of the toughest firefighters around.”
According to principals and staff, the 2020 drive was able to reach almost 300 kids in the county’s three elementary schools.
“We were able to help over 50 families, and many of them have multiple children. This is a wonderful program, and I know a lot of families and children are very appreciative,” said Mountain View Elementary Principal Charles Walker.
School nurse Cayla West said this year’s public safety program served 123 kids at Clear Creek Elementary.
“We’ve had a lot of grateful parents and guardians and it’s all been a little emotional, too,” she noted.
Coronavirus restrictions did cause the toy deliveries to be a little more brief than in previous years, confirmed Statham.
That’s okay because, even though the firefighters do the legwork and fundraising required to make the program happen, they prefer to stay out of the spotlight.
“We went into the schools with masks on, dropped the toys off and immediately came out,” Statham said. “We try to stay as far in the background as we can. The teachers deliver it all to the parents in a method that it’s either from the parents or Santa Claus. We lean toward things like toys, shoes, sleeping bags and blankets. We had such a good year this year that we were able to provide bicycles for kids who don’t have one.”
Statham and Dempsey emphasized that the program is a team effort not only among fellow first responders, but also school system personnel and the local retail stores where toys and shoes are purchased.
“The school system gave us two (box) trucks with drivers to help us out this year, which was a big help. Walmart and Shoe Show gave us great discounts. Their personnel also work with us on the shopping days because it is a handful,” said Statham.
“We want to thank Superintendent Dr. Shanna Downs and the school system for their support,” added Dempsey. “The teachers and staff at Clear Creek, Ellijay and Mountain View Elementary put up with us every year, but they always have smiles on their faces. If it wasn’t for the citizens of this community, we could never pull it off year after year. They fill the boots with money that allows us to do this.”
Ellijay Elementary Principal Lauree Pierce said the program makes her proud to be from such a supportive community.
“We certainly do appreciate their outreach, especially this year when the need is even greater,” she noted.
Christmas for Kids has grown to the point that it may soon transition to its own 501(c)(3) setup. It’s currently overseen by the local firefighter’s auxiliary, Statham noted.
“Since we are getting larger, we’re looking at going to a 501(c)(3) just for this program. The intent is that we don’t want it to go away,” he added.