PlanetRockwall.com

Share The Season 2011

Share The Season 2011
Sponsored by Savvy Texas Magazine, Blue Ribbon News & Planet Rockwall

When Savvy Texas Magazine embarked on the “Share the Season” donation drive along with Blue Ribbon News and Planet Rockwall, we knew that we had the potential to really make a difference and help some great local non-profit organizations this holiday season. But, what we didn’t know was how many local businesses would take the bull by the horns and really do so much more than we ever expected.

When we picked the non-profit organizations that we wanted to sponsor, we decided that we really wanted to highlight some organizations that don’t typically do large donation drives for themselves during the holiday season.

“Share the Season 2011” benefited The Rainbow Room in Rockwall, which works with CPS and serves as emergency assistance for abused and neglected children, Rowlett Needy Children’s Fund, that is run on a shoe string budget by the amazing Barbara Thomas and brings much needed food and clothing to children and families in need, and Rockwall PAWS, which stands for Pets Assistance and Wellness Support, and do such great work for Rockwall County animals.

The first task at hand after selecting the organizations we wanted to support was to get some local businesses to carry the donation boxes. We were really touched by the amount of enthusiasm from local businesses as we approached them. And we are very thankful to the businesses that carried our donation boxes which were: (Rockwall) Old Navy of Rockwall, Elly May’s, KE Cellars, Midsouth Bank, Milano’s, Zanata and Shenaniganz. (Rowlett) The Hair Gallery, Girlfriends, Ace’s Gourmet Panini’s and Absolutely Edible Cakes.

And, even though we were so pleased with how many places had agreed to carry our boxes, what happened next made us see what “Sharing the Season” really meant.

Kirk Lovett, president of Savvy Texas Magazine, had been in contact with Barbara Thomas of Rowlett Needy Children’s Fund on many occasions, at first to get the mission of the organization and their needs to put on our “Giving” page and then as we began to put the donation drive together, he delved a little deeper to see what he could do to make a real difference in some of the lives of the families she helps every day.

Barbara made a big impact on Kirk, and as he would talk about the number of families that Rowlett Needy Children’s Fund assists, and the strength and tireless efforts of Barbara, local businesses wanted to be a part of finding ways to help RNCF in a larger way as well.

The first idea that was brought to the table was from Becky Peck at The Hair Gallery. She thought it would be a great idea to set up a series of appointments on days that the salon would have typically been closed, for families to come in and get free haircuts. This sounds like something so basic to many of us, but for some of the families involved, it was the first time that the kids actually were going to have a professional haircut, and it was a really great gift for the holidays. So, Kirk coordinated appointment times with Barbara, and then set out to make the project even more special. He contacted Brendal’s Bakery in Rowlett, who donated cupcakes to have as a treat during the appointment dates and Which Wich in Rockwall, whose owner’s Robert & Milda Arlauskas, donated sandwiches, drinks, cookies and chips to be served to families as well. In essence, for each appointment date, the families that were coming in, not only were getting a clean haircut for the holidays, they were walking into a holiday celebration to enjoy. It was a lovely unexpected surprise that they were very grateful for.

There was one person in particular who was so thrilled to have the opportunity just to get a haircut, that even though she didn’t have a ride to The Hair Gallery, she would walk to be able to make her appointment time. On the day of her appointment, Kirk had actually approached Tom Thumb management in Rowlett to see if there was anything they would like to contribute to the donation drive. They gave him a $25 gift card and he was pondering in what way it could best be used. And, he decided that this one girl who was so excited merely to be getting a haircut, who had so little, and was going to do whatever it took to make her appointment time, would probably very much appreciate being able to use the card to buy some grocery items. She was indeed overjoyed.

And the giving didn’t stop there. Old Navy of Rockwall not only carried a donation box for our drive, manager Joey Flores also brought in a family that consists of a single father with two children to donate clothing items as Christmas gifts for them.

For that same family, who had a 6 year old son that only wanted a pair of Cowboy Boots for Christmas, Lisa Gilham of Cowgirl Cuties, donated that pair of boots to him. And for their 12 year old daughter, Madi Lovett designed and made a custom headband for her, which just happened to be the little girl’s favorite color. Seeing them receive such an outpouring of support, was a true gift not only for the family, but for all who were involved that day.

Then Jeremy Shank of Brookshire’s in Rockwall, donated 9 cases of food items to Rowlett Needy Children’s Fund. Rockwall Salons, donated diapers and clothing to The Rainbow Room. Half Price Books of Rockwall donated hundreds of books, that went to The Rowlett Needy Children’s Fund and Dot’s Fashions donated 10 bags of clothing to them as well, which was a tremendously welcomed donation as there were so many teenagers in need of items.

And, Shenaniganz carried a box and collected several bags of clothing, toys and books that were split between RNCF and The Rainbow Room. Plus, Parker Coddington of Shenaniganz, donated 30 gift cards for families from RNCF and 66 gift cards that went to The Rainbow Room.

And Cheryl Fitzgerald of Girlfriends in Rowlett, donated several stylish handbags and wallets, that were sure to bring smiles to many teen faces on Christmas morning.

All of the organizations we had collaboratively selected to support received some much needed donations this holiday season. And, the number of people and business owners that really stepped up and volunteered their time and resources to make this holiday special for so many, absolutely touched us all more than we could have imagined. And while all of us at Savvy Texas Magazine, Blue Ribbon News and Planet Rockwall are very grateful for all of the many gifts in our lives, our greatest gift this season was being able to work with so many fabulous people and businesses to make positive impacts in the lives of local families and pets in need.

Photos & article courtesy of:
Kim Lovett
Savvy Texas Magazine