Kids learn the gift of giving through YMCA’s Christmas Bazaar

WASHINGTON - A large, sparkly pink ‘T' is what 7-year-old Aroura Entsiminger picked out for her Uncle Thomas at the YMCA of Washington. With the help of her elf, Emma Chenoweth, the Washington resident roamed tables filled with trinkets, toys and assorted items at the Y's annual Christmas Bazaar.

'‘T' for Thomas,” Entsiminger said, as she grabbed the letter and placed it into her bag, filled with items she had personally chosen for her family members.

'I had a lot of fun ... the hardest part was I had to figure out my family's favorite things,” the 7-year-old said after going through the Bazaar. Her favorite item she chose was a pair of earrings she intends to give to her Aunt Erin.

The local Y held its annual holiday shopping event last Saturday. Parents were encouraged to bring their children in to shop for gifts. Prices ranged from 50 cents to $5, and with the help of Santa's elves, local kids were able to experience the joy of choosing and preparing presents to give to their loved ones. At the close of the event, more than 100 local children had gone through the Bazaar.

Angela Goodwin, the marketing and fundraising director for the nonprofit, was charged with spearheading the event this year. She explained that many of the gifts were donated by local businesses. In other instances, monetary donations were made, which the Y's staff used to purchase items to be included in the Bazaar. While the exact year the event started is difficult to pin down, photographs from the nonprofit's archives suggest that the Bazaar has been a community staple since the late 1960s.

In addition to being a long-held tradition, Goodwin remarked that the Bazaar gives children an opportunity to take ownership and participate in the holiday season in a new way.

'One of our main focuses is youth development, so this really gives kids a chance to come in and it helps them build confidence. They get to shop for their family members, so they're working with family members so they're working with money … and get to kind of do it by themselves and get a sense of independence. So they really feel good and feel that spirit for the holiday season,” Goodwin said.

For older kids, like 10-year-old Cecil Kelly from Wellman, choosing presents he knows his family members will enjoy and getting them at a nice price was the name of the game.

'I got 10 gifts for $11,” Kelly remarked.

As he waited for Santa's helpers to wrap the gifts he had chosen, Kelly explained that he was looking forward to receiving toys this upcoming Christmas, but was most excited about giving his father the deer figurine he had chosen.

'I got him this little blue steel deer. He used to be a hunter. He's going to hunt with me sometime this year … he likes deer,” Kelly said.

However, for some of the younger participants, it was a bit of a struggle to remember to be on the lookout for presents for others, and not for themselves. Many of the preschool aged children gravitated toward toys, but were gently reminded by elves to keep their family members in mind.

Cheyann Adamson, a director for the Kalona YMCA, decided to volunteer to be an elf to support other local chapters. For Adamson, the most exciting part of the day was 'meeting all the kids.”

'Even though some of them picked stuff for themselves, it was cool that this makes them think about other people,” Adamson added.

Still, parents like Lindsey Van Duyn, who brought her nearly-3-year-old twin daughters Autumn and Avery Rabbitt to the Bazaar, hopes to instill the virtue of giving, even if they may not completely understand it yet.

'I wasn't sure if they would understand but when we left grandma and grandpa's house, they go ‘Bye, grandma and grandpa, we're buying you a present,'” Van Duyn said.

'I thought they would enjoy it. They've never shopped for anyone before so I asked them if they wanted to go shopping and they said yes. It's my hope that they learn to give,” the mother added.