BLUEFIELD —
A major donation from a Texas company and an outpouring of support from area residents pushed the Community Christmas Tree campaign past the $12,000 mark Wednesday.
“Around noon on Wednesday we received a FedEx from Phipps Mineral Holdings LTD, of Corpus Christi, Texas, with a $10,000 check for the campaign,” Daily Telegraph Editor and Community Christmas Tree Coord-inator Samantha Perry said. “We were overwhelmed. It was an incredible moment.”
Perry said the Corpus Christi company has a history of making generous donations to the annual campaign. “But this — a $10,000 check — was a ‘Wow’ moment,” she said.
Also on Wednesday, the campaign received more than $1,000 in donations from area residents. “In one day we jumped from an $830 campaign total to a $12,310 total,” Perry said. “It was amazing.”
Sponsored by the Bluefield Daily Telegraph, the Community Christmas Tree is also known as the Little Jimmie program, a reference to an iconic drawing that has accompanied the campaign kickoff since its early days.
This years, organizers expect to serve 750 area children at the annual party, which will be held Friday, Dec. 21, from noon to 1:30 p.m. at the city auditorium in Bluefield.
At the party, each child registered for the program will receive a red bag filled with two toys — selected especially for each individual child — food, treats, a book, toboggan, a pair of gloves and other goodies.
More than 400 children have already been registered for the program, and a second weekend of sign-ups will be held Friday, from 3 to 6 p.m., and Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Both events will be held at the city auditorium in Bluefield. Parents or legal guardians are required to bring the child’s WIC or CHIPS card, or birth certificate.
“Little Jimmie is an all-volunteer program,” Perry said. “Its success stems from the generosity of the community and our readers, both near and far. We appreciate all those who support the campaign.”
Those who would like to contribute to the Community Christmas Tree program can mail donations to: Bluefield Daily Telegraph, c/o Community Christmas Tree, P.O. Box 1599, Bluefield, WV, 24701; or drop them off at the Daily Telegraph office. Checks should be made payable to the Community Christmas Tree Fund.
Wednesday’s contributions
In memory of “GEE,” Granny Frances, Granny “B.” We love and miss ya, by “Poppy,” kids and Grandkids $100
Anonymous $200
Anonymous $50
In memory of my grandparents, James “Boots” Pauley and James and Thelma Parsell, by Jamie Parsell $50
In memory of Mike Pauley, by Julia Pauley $100
Robert Hufford $30
In memory of our parents, Bill and Georgie Stanley and Milty and Louise Wiley, by Jerry and Joy Stanley $100
Carol Rose $100
Mike and Nancy Vorono $100
Mark Estepp $50
In memory of William T. Hancock $500
Tom and Mary Jane Farmer $100
Phipps Mineral Holdings LTD (Corpus Christi, Texas) $10,000
Today’s total $11,480
Previous total $830
Total to date $12,310
Local News
November 29, 2012
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