Christmas came to the Roatan thanks to the spirit of giving shown by Drumheller.
This year supporters of the Morgan Jayne Project were able to fill the Christmas wish list for children served by Familias Saludables, and sent nearly two tons of gifts to the small organization in Honduras.
The organization held its annual Christmas party on December 24. Valerie Nelson of Familias Saludables said there were 178 children on the list, and of those, 85 came to the party. The rest of the gifts were hand-delivered to the families.
The Wendy’s restaurant was the venue for the party. This is a place the children were not used to going to, and after a while they took a shine to the playground, which they were not normally able to play on because it was reserved for paying customers. They also warmed up to the free game at The Games Company amusement centre across the street.
“The manager was so in awe of these kids’ laughter, he told me he’d never seen such happy kids with no fighting, and he let them all do everything again,” said Nelson.
Back at the restaurant they enjoyed burgers and fries. They were just cutting the cake when Santa arrived. Nelson explained the different ways the children opened their gifts. Some tore into them with wild abandon, while for others, it was their first Christmas.
“One little girl, age five, tried two times to give her present back to Santa. As I explained it was for her she looked at me and told me it couldn’t be because ‘Santa never comes to me.’ My voice wobbled as I told her ‘He does from now on!’”
Local grocery stores also contributed to the Christmas party and the families were able to go home knowing they had groceries to fill their shelves for the time being.
One youngster who was visited by Santa this year was Wesley. The little boy, named after a Morgan Jayne Project volunteer in Drumheller, was born to a young, malnourished, addicted mother and weighed only 2 lbs, 15 ounces at birth. His twin died. The doctor at the pediatric unit said he would not survive much longer. With the help of formula and medicine, supplied by the Morgan Jayne Project the youngster responded with a fight, feeding hourly. A month later, he is four and half pounds and thriving.
Nelson has praise for supporters of the project.
“Of course the real Santa is you; you’re the ones who have brought such joy to these children,” she said. “Thank you for bringing joy to children at Christmas. Thank you for bringing joy to the whole family. Thank you for the nights these children will not go to bed hungry. Thank you for allowing these children to feel special and cared for. Thank you for making a difference.”
