In a city-owned building in downtown Aurora, the magic of Christmas comes alive in ways to rival even the busiest times in Santa’s workshop.
This is where elves, some disguised as Aurora University social work interns and volunteers too numerous to count, have accumulated wall-to-wall piles of toy-filled sacks, too many to fit into even a wide-angle camera shot.
All of which, beginning Saturday, will be distributed to a record-number 531 children – a couple hundred more than pre-COVID years – as part of the Fox Valley United Way’s Holiday Assistance program.
For many years I’ve been honored to write about this remarkable project, the history of which can be traced back to the late 1990s when a request was made from Aurora Township to help a handful of kids who otherwise would not get a visit from Santa. Over the decades and through multiple iterations, this holiday program has become one of the most successful outreaches in the area.
Need seems to grow with each season. But as we all are aware, post-pandemic inflation has made 2022 especially rough, particularly for the poorest in our community who are much more vulnerable to the rising costs of such basics as food, heat and transportation, not to mention the housing crisis that has literally left families and children out in the cold.
This year, Hesed House homeless shelter in Aurora alone requested Christmas gifts for 72 families and/or 171 children.
Somehow, a generous community always manages to respond.
Right now 12 S. Broadway is jammed with that response. Many gifts are hidden behind colorful wrapping paper or in large bags piled halfway to the ceiling, with numbers corresponding to the 181 families that were each interviewed by United Way employees to find out if their needs are genuine and how best they can be helped.
Kassia Eide, Fox Valley United Way manager of family engagement, never fails to be humbled but also saddened by this intake process. Moms only seek toys for their children, she tells me. And when asked about their own needs, they request basics, such as detergent, toilet paper, diapers, feminine products, bedding or even underwear.
“They are not thinking of themselves,” Eide said. “They just want their children to have a nice Christmas.”
Judging from the time I spent in this distribution center on Wednesday, there should certainly be plenty of smiles come Christmas morning. In addition to the thousands of gifts already bagged, rooms overflow with still-unwrapped items, including 1,100 books from one donor, dozens of scooters and bikes, as well as blankets, coats, socks and basic household items.
While the cutoff for families to register is long past, there are always those last-minute requests that come in – including a trio of children who arrived at the homeless shelter last Friday.
About 50% of donations, including cash and gift cards, come from individuals or families, who often want to shop for items on an anonymous child’s Santa list, with the other half from corporate sponsors, such as Rush Copley Medical Center, which had 13 departments take part, or from Wrigley Corporation, which requested 75 kids and also donated a candy shop full of sweets.
One donor wrote a $1,500 check after learning about the program from a woman he works with, Hortencia Ramos.
Which truly touched Ramos, a medical sales rep who also manages social media accounts, because she herself relied on this program for a few years after leaving a domestic violence situation in 2012.
Before this turning point in her life, Ramos worked in human resources at a large grocery chain and was the one always soliciting fellow employees for United Way donations, she said.
Which is why it was so tough to ask for Christmas help for her four children when she was struggling to pay the rent.
“I remember her coming in with tears,” said Fox Valley United Way Executive Director Deborah Rudel. “She felt there were others with bigger needs. But she had a huge need.
“One of the things it’s hard to do is step forward, to reach out and say I need help. That’s what we are here for.”
Recalling those days is still emotional for Ramos, who has since become an advocate for domestic violence awareness and a vocal cheerleader for United Way.
“Life is life,” she said. “And sometimes it gets hard.”
That’s why, beginning in October, Fox Valley United Way employees begin working on this massive holiday project. It involves lots of long hours, lots of spreadsheets and lots faith in a community that, no matter what economic conditions, always comes through.
“We’ve all got to help each other,” said Jenny Everhart, who works in enrollment at Aurora University and each year, with her colleague Emily Morales, pulls together gifts for eight children.
“The gratitude is overwhelming,” agreed Michele Bergeron, director of development and engagement for Fox Valley United Way, who told me she can’t help but marvel at how, when a new family unexpectedly comes into the system, just as quickly “a new donor will come in with a $300 gift card.”
“And then we go shop,” added a smiling Bergeron. “It really is magic.”
dcrosby@tribpub.com
