“FAM gives early Christmas to 500 kids - msnbc.com” plus 1 more

FAM gives early Christmas to 500 kids - msnbc.com

Posted: 13 Dec 2010 09:13 AM PST

Francesca Valentine, 13, did such a good job as an elf for Family Assistance Ministries' Christmas celebration that a young visitor asked if it was her regular job.

FAM held its annual holiday gift giveaway for needy families Saturday at the San Clemente Community Center. FAM collected more than 2,000 donated toys in the past two months for almost 500 children. One hundred teenage and adult volunteers worked for a week before Saturday's event to prepare gifts, organize a visit by Santa and Mrs. Claus and finish holiday-themed cakes, cookies and hot drinks.

Valentine, a student at Saddleback Valley Christian Schools, participated with her mother, Maggie, through National Charity League, a mother-daughter community organization. Valentine was enthusiastic about her part as one of Santa's elves, guiding kids through several tables piled high with games, trucks, dolls, tractors, makeup kits, Mr. Potato Head, shoes and dresses of all sizes.

"I don't have any brothers and sisters, so to come here with all the kids, it's the best Christmas for me," Valentine said. "I really like seeing them get excited."

See the photos for scenes from the event.

FAM Executive Director Mary Gray Purdue has been on the job only a month and was happy to see the event come together with the help of groups such as NCL, Our Savior's Lutheran Church, the Assistance League, Southern California Edison and Beach Angels. Purdue walked from room to room, amazed that donations were still coming in up to the last minute.

One donor walked up earlier in the week with 40 $25 gift cards for the teenage volunteers.

"He just came in off the street with these gift cards and the kids ... started crying, I started crying, the staff started crying ... and then he started crying. We were all blown away," Purdue said.

FAM board member Al Beuerlein said one-third more toys were donated this year than last. He said the event gets better organized every year and is able to serve more area families by pulling together more groups to help, including his homeowners association from the Talega Gallery community.

The first hour of Saturday's celebration ended with about 225 kids gripping toys, stuffed animals from Santa and smiling over a plate of cookies and gingerbread while sipping hot chocolate.

Eduardo Perez, 6, found a coloring book he couldn't wait to get into, coloring furiously between bites from an enormous cookie decorated with M&Ms. His sister Adriana Perez, 16, selected a $25 Walmart gift card she'll use for school clothes and is hoping for an iPod from Santa this year.

Another sister, Karina Perez, 13, wants an iPod as well. She chose a makeup kit during the event, explaining with a roll of her eyes that it will be a couple of years before her mom will let her use it.

Southern California Edison volunteers helped Santa and Mrs. Claus, sorting through a giant pile of stuffed animals, selecting multicolored Hello Kitty and Raggedy Anne dolls for girls, with Buzz Lightyear or big fuzzy puppies for the boys.

Volunteer elf Kelly Larrick of Claremont didn't ponder for long what Santa could bring her for Christmas. She's hoping for a chocolate-colored Labrador puppy, even picking out a name, Co Co.

Jan Cleeves, a FAM volunteer coordinator, said work will start this week for next year's toy drive.

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Customize your gifts for your favorite kids - Kansas City Star

Posted: 13 Dec 2010 03:15 AM PST

By LISA HANLON

McClatchy-Tribune

Looking for kids gifts that are not on the traditional "hot toy" lists? Why not give a "customized" gift? We asked some of the country's leading mom authorities for some ideas.

-Beth Feldman, editor of Rolemommy.com, and creator of the newly launched online magazine for moms by moms, Project You (www.projectyoumagazine.com) recommends Switchittz Tees ($32-39). Now available online at www.switchittz.com and at kids boutiques across the country, these cool long and short sleeve tees will give your child the chance to change the look of their shirt with different 3D patches. Choose from a variety of scenes Deep Space, Tropic Jungle, Princess Castle and much more. Each themed shirt comes with four interchangeable Switchittz, and then you can purchase more for each tee. Just think - you don't have to buy more shirts and your child can have a new look in seconds!

-Customizable Kicks at Converse.com "I can't tell you how many compliments my daughter has received ever since she designed her own at Converse sneakers online, says Feldman. Give a converse gift card where kids can pick their favorite style sneaker and customize it for their very own look.

-Jenny Isenman, contributing writer to parenting sites such as iVillage and Babble.com, is editor of TheSuburbanJungle.com, recently recognized by Good Housekeeping as the "suburban blog to read." Isenman is also a fan of gifts for children with a personal touch. According to Isenman, the personalized gift is a great choice for children because it's something they will treasure (and if you are giving to a relative or friend's child, they are pretty much re-gift proof.)

Her recommendations include:

-Yummy personalized blankets from www.butterscotchblankees.com. Choose a design, blanket color and the accent color, with your choice of font. You can personalize them with a combination of name, initials and date. They will treasure it forever. $52-$125.

-Read to your kids even when you can't be there with Hallmark Recordable Story Books at Hallmark stores and Hallmark.com. Add your voice to every page of these adorably illustrated books.

- The Dallas-area moms at Metroplex Baby and Kids (www.metroplexbaby.com), love the Kushies My Bag, which helps little kids learn how to pack and identify their belongings during travel/overnight trips or at daycare.

My Bag has cool compartments, an insulated snack box, in insulated medicine box, places to keep clean and dirty clothes separate, a bag for shoes, and a pillow and blanket. It is $79.99 at www.kushiesonline.com.

-They also recommend Yubo the lunchbox that kids customize with different faceplates; $29.95 at http://getyubo.com.

Kids Shoes

Monday, December 13, 2010