Everyone?s an Elf this Christmas

    The personnel at the Washington County Communications Center are really getting into the Christmas spirit. The dispatchers are collecting donations for a program known as ?Everyone?s an Elf.? They will raise money for gifts to families in need. They will do this through a bake sale and something known as ?blue jeans Fridays.?

    Communications Supervisor Cara Sorrells said her employees follow a strict dress code most of the year. However, on the Fridays in November and December, the employees can donate their way to casual attire. The dispatchers pay $2 for the right to wear blue jeans and an ?Everyone?s an Elf? shirt on Friday.  

    There is also a bake sale to raise money for the gifts. The bake sale starts Monday morning and will last through Wednesday. It will include things such as cookies, pies and brownies.

    Assistant Communications Supervisor Teresa Todd came up with idea to do the ?Everyone?s an Elf? program. The program began six years ago, and in its early years was focused on providing gifts to children.

    Sorrells said, ?We wanted a team-building exercise to give back to the community. There were other programs around such as ?Shop with a cop,? so we played off that. Last year, we sponsored five families, and we hope to sponsor five or more families this year.?

    The dispatchers realized that there may be other people in town who?d want presents, too, such as shut-ins.

    ?We?ve now started to adopt elderly folks who don?t receive many visits, or who don?t get anything for Christmas.?

    Sorrells said they accept applications to be included in the program, and they also search for individuals in need.

    ?I ask nursing homes, firemen, mayors and law enforcement if they know of someone who we need to look for this year,? said Sorrells.

    Once the dispatchers receive nominations, they contact the person or family and ask them to fill out a wish list. The list includes the ages and sexes of the individuals in the family, and a thing or two that each one needs. 

    ?The people in the nursing home ask us for minibus passes,? said Sorrells. ?It?s a good feeling to help people like that. Most kids don?t ask for much. Sometimes they don?t have a tree, so we bring a tree.?

    Everyone at the communications center plays a role in project. Some of them like to shop for the items on the list, some of them like to wrap the gifts and still others like to make stockings. Todd and Joni Huisenga put the names of the individuals on the stockings, often through embroidery and sometimes with glitter.

For more, see our Nov. 19 print edition.