Monday, January 9, 2012

The Best Christmas Ever - Part Two

2012 has rolled in; a New Year is in front of each of us! Are you dreaming of goals you want to accomplish or places you want to go? On behalf of the Wood-Tex Team, we would like to say ‘Thank You’ for the privilege of partnering with you in creating the ‘Best Christmas Ever’ at Fair Play Boys Camp.

I had the honor of finishing out my two year term of working with the boys during the Christmas Season. It was all brought to a close at the formal Christmas Banquet. Being involved in a non-profit organizationlike Fair Play seems to make the dollar value increase dramatically. A simple donation, no matter the size, can make a difference in the life of a boy, who, in turn can impact others; you never know the extent of the domino effect traveling through the generations to come. It all starts with someone supporting one boy!

The Christmas Season started out at Camp by decorating our main building call the Chuck Wagon. My group made paper chains to go all across the ceiling, draping from the fans and lights. We had a lot of fun with that! When finished, over 200 feet of paper chains graced the room. There was so much energy and spirit it felt like Christmas was already here!

“Cookie Bake Day” –boy oh boy! There are enough smells, cookie shapes, and flavors to remind anyone their taste buds are still working. This event is in preparation for our Christmas Caroling in the neighborhood. One thread that we teach all year long; that we set as a goal for how we
live, is investing in the lives of those around us, blessing them however we can. We carried the same theme into “Cookie Bake”, and when the day ended and each group had their turn cutting and decorating, we had made over 1300 cookies!

A few days later we all loaded into a school bus and went to the homes of elderly in our community, hoping to lift up their spirits by singing at the top of our lungs. It is truly amazing how the boys who come to Camp for help, can “come alive” when they are giving to others! Honestly, there is no other place that I would rather be than at Camp in a moment like that.

Now for the event that has more work put into it than any other at Camp – the Banquet! The magnitude of this event was made possible through your partnership with Wood-Tex Products and the “Best Christmas Ever”!

Every boy was dressed in either a tuxedo or dress shirt and tie. We all entered the room and were seated at the elegantly decorated tables. There were decorations on the tables, with candles accenting them. Each and every plate was eye catching. The boys loved it! The meal was excellent, served by people who have generously given of their time.

This year our guest speaker, a man who was at the right hand of Paul Harvey – the well known talk show host, told the Christmas Story, a version which Paul was famous for when broadcasting. After that there was a ceremony to acknowledge the involvement I had been privileged to be a part of at Camp. All of the activities with this season were impacted through donations. Gifts for the boys, memories of the joy instead of the trauma in their lives, food for the banquet, money for projects, and the list goes on.

Once again, thank you for your part. YOU made the difference!

This post was brought to you by Ben Lapp. He can be reached at ben@woodtex.com.