By The Ruehlman Family
When a new year comes around, it is an opportunity to evaluate and reflect so we can make changes for advancements and keep what is working. In 2023, that is precisely what we did for the Giving Tree!
The Giving Tree has been serving our community for over 20 years, so it runs like a well-oiled machine, and as the old saying says, “If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it”. We recognize that many things are running efficiently – online applications, tags on the tree in the church foyer, online wish list, cookie kits, and crafts – to name a few. Advancement over the years has been important because that has allowed us to expand our outreach and assist more families. Sometimes outside circumstances (i.e., the pandemic) force you to make changes that open a blessing you were not expecting. The Giving Tree has continued to allow parents/guardians to have the choice to decide what kind of help we can provide them. Assist them with shopping or give them the resources to take care of the shopping themselves – either way, the goal is the same: smiling children on Christmas morning.
This year, the changes we made were striving to be more intentional in bringing love to our neighbors. We implemented new requirements for families to abide by to qualify for assistance. The requirement that made the biggest impact was families needed to live within a 10-mile flying radius of the church so we could concentrate on taking love to our direct neighbors. At first, we wondered if this would limit our reach, but God knew the community needed the people of Mount Carmel to love them. The Giving Tree helped over 90 families, including 285 children within our community this year. One of the many blessings that came out of the change to being more community-focused was allowing us to partner with a local elementary school to give to several families. The requests from these families were small but our impact was huge. These families did not seek help for themselves directly as the school resource counselor reached out on their behalf, so they had no expectations on what to expect during pick-up. It was heartwarming to see their reactions of overwhelming gratefulness by kindness of others.
Change does not always mean new. It can be the restart of something, too. This year, the Giving Tree also brought back assisting elderly community members who could use a helping hand. We shared Christmas cheer with 15 individuals our first year back. In partnership with members of the church, we were able to collaborate with local senior communities to identify and provide for those in need. This revival also allowed us to help down at the Happy Church area to spread the cheer. Their smiles, tears, and genuine gratitude are the reminder we do this each year.
Lastly, thank you because that never goes out of style! Thank you to the people of Mount Carmel who step up each year to make the Giving Tree possible. Without your contributions, there would not be a baby doll palooza for the family with four little girls who all asked for baby dolls and accessories or a jumping, giddy mom with excitement knowing her son will be receiving a bike or a little girl pursuing her singing ambitions with a karaoke machine. Each of these moments and so many more were possible because of the generosity and love we took to our neighbors this holiday season. Thank you!
