Women’s Club Wraps For Early Gift Giving

By Kendra Bobowick

With rolls of wrapping paper spilled on the floor beside the many bags of toys, games, dolls, and clothes collected underfoot, Newtown Jr Women’s Club volunteers sorted through contributed gifts on Wednesday, December 12. Waiting to be wrapped, the items would soon be on their way to local families needing a generous boost this year. The club was wrapping up its Tag-A-Gift initiative this week, which will culminate on Saturday morning when NJWC members bring all of those gifts to Sandy Hook School for The Newtown Fund’s annual Delivery Day.

Middle Gate Brownie Troop 157 members recently created 90 ornament tags and them on put on trees they had set up at three locations in town. Residents were invited to pick up an ornament and go shopping for the item requested on that ornament, and then return the new, unwrapped item to the tree. By Wednesday of this week, NJWC members met to organize those contributions.

A small group of volunteers met at Newtown Meeting House at midday to organize the gifts according to each family’s needs. Later that evening a larger crew was expected to show up for a wrapping party to take care of adding merriment to the board games, decks of cards, stuffed animals, and young adults’ items that had been donated. Overall, the club assembled packages for 56 recipients.

“It’s too heavy, Mom, it’s too heavy,” 3-year-old Olivia Doscher said Wednesday afternoon as she hoisted her items toward her shoulder while following mom, Christine Doscher. Ms Doscher was co-chair of this year’s NJWC Tag-A-Gift along with club Vice President Marya Gaiser.

As the bags of donations were dispersed for different recipients, volunteers Kara Tinkler, Kim DiDomozio, and Charlene Calandro talked about the public’s generosity including a recent incident where shoppers at a local store had overheard the club’s Tag-A-Gift goals and handed the women money right on the spot.