Like Ripples on a Pond.

     Most towns have toy drives right before the holidays, and most people contribute with a check or a gift. It is a good feeling to know you have done something to make a child happy.  In our little town, people mail a check, or drop off a toy at a local bank or at the fire department. As the packages pile up, good feeling spreads and, even during COVID, smiles come out.  

This year, the positive impact of the ripple effect took on new dimensions. Just count the ways. 

First, thirteen young women, all still in high school, decided to raise money for toys, but with a twist.  As members of a local non-profit organization, the girls have participated in humanitarian projects for people in other countries. This time, they developed their own project for children at home.

     They reached out to everyone they knew and promised that, in exchange for a donation, contributors would receive goody bags of home-baked cookies plus some candy.  All of us would, no doubt, have donated without the cookie bonus, but it made us feel, somehow, like partners in the project, and with something of our own to anticipate as well.  Very nice.

     One of the girls contacted the pastor of a local church and asked if they could use the church kitchen to assemble and bake the cookies.  The pastor loved what they were doing and welcomed them immediately. After adding up the donors and the total dollars collected, the girls returned the pastor’s kindness by making a donation to his church with a bit of the money. It’s a feel good moment.

A small amount of the money raised was used for supplies. This was a full-on group effort. Some of the girls bought the cookie ingredients; some ordered the goody bags; others bought the candy. It gets better.

     With the rest of the money, two of the girls shopped for 40 wonderful, guaranteed-to-delight toys and delivered them to the fire department. Imagine how happily surprised some girls and boys were.  It is a memory they might one day share with their own children. 

     Then came the big bake. The girls baked dozens of huge chocolate chip cookies and packed them (and candy) in holiday-cheery goody bags. They had fun; they bonded and created their own memory.  Coming full circle, the girls and their parents drove around town, delivering the yummy-filled bags to people who had looked forward to having them.  And that’s not all.

The cookies were absolutely delicious! My son loved the fact that no two cookies had exactly the same shape, further proof of their homemade goodness and the individuality of the bakers.

     So many enjoyed this multi-dimensional gift-giving event and hope it will be repeated year after year, but some of the girls will be at college, out of town.  We hope that others will take their place, or think of a new way for our town to celebrate the holidays, our kids, our neighbors, and ourselves.

We are all ripples in a pond and may never know how far our reach extends, but thanks to 13 wonderful people - who accomplished a lot more than raising money for toys - we had a special moment to understand, take part, and feel the true meaning of community. It is both an ideal and a place where all of us - even if we do not know each other - are connected by our humanity, bound by our desire to make a difference, to make someone else happy, and ourselves, too, in the process. It is that simple.

P.S. Did you count the ways? How many ripples did you find?

Credits:

Lia Gorbach – a senior in high school who conceived the idea.    

Every girl who participated in this far-reaching and memorable effort.

The pastor who donated the use of his church kitchen.

Parents who helped with the deliveries.

Neighbors who wanted to contribute to the joy.