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Washington Evening Journal
111 North Marion Avenue
Washington, IA 52353
319-653-2191
Volunteers make magic at Santa’s Workshop
Through the combined efforts of dozen of volunteers, WMU students shopped for holiday gifts
WINFIELD — In a flurry of busyness, an army of volunteers once again worked together to gift Winfield-Mt. Union students the opportunity to shop for their loved ones and receive a special gift for themselves at the annual Santa’s Workshop and Dr. Brad Nordyke's gift giveaway.
It is hard to imagine that things at the North Pole were any busier than what went on at Santa’s Workshop in Winfield last week.
Tables laden with an assortment of new and gently used items were covered from end to end and side to side with gifts for everyone. With a purpose to give students an opportunity to shop for members of their family at reasonable prices.
WMU’s PTO took on directing Santa’s for the last three years, though it started over 20 years ago thanks to WMU staff members Brooke McArtor and Kathy Khehn.
The Workshop is held in the Winfield Presbyterian Church, which graciously allows Santa’s helpers to take over their basement for the event.
Preparations for the Workshop start months before when the public is asked to donate items or money to help stock the shop. The cash is used to purchase supplies such as markers, stickers, pens, or other wrapping materials.
Volunteer wrappers then use these supplies to ensure each gift is properly wrapped and labeled. Cash also goes toward purchasing additional gifts if there is a shortage of items for a particular age group.
Profits from the workshop are also used for various other PTO projects.
Help from the community goes further than just material or monetary donations.
Tubs full of items are literally dragged out of the storage room, unloaded, sorted, and laid out before shopping each year. This year the WMU boys’ basketball team lent a hand at getting the tubs out, which is no small task.
Then it takes several helpers two to three evenings (and on some occasions, until midnight) to get everything ready for the big day.
Once the workshop opens, students are dismissed by class travel over to the church and do their shopping.
The first group arrives at 9 a.m. and shoppers come down grade by grade until the last class is through, which is usually early afternoon.
The students, with the help of volunteers, have approximately 20 minutes to make their selections. For some it takes most of the 20 minutes, others zero in on the perfect gift with time to spare, but everyone leaves with at least one gift to give and some with up to six.
Over two dozen volunteers help with the event.
Some come for an hour or two, others are present from beginning to end.
Some even come from neighboring towns such as Columbus Jct. and Wapello to lend a hand.
Volunteers during shopping hours fill important roles to making Santa’s Workshop a success.
Helpers, scattered around the tables, help any shopper who needs a little advice or direction them to find the items they are looking for.
Other helpers select the proper size bags for the gifts from a huge assortment of mostly donated Christmas bags. Others supply colorful tissue to carefully cover the bagged items. Gifts that don’t fit in a bag are wrapped in Christmas paper by other volunteers.
Shoppers fill out and attach tags on their gifts and, depending on the number and size of the gifts, some are put in a big black garbage bag with the shopper’s name on the outside.
Before the shoppers leave with their treasures they are invited to another room where a large assortment of items for all ages groups are displayed courtesy of Dr. Brad Nordyke, a Winfield graduate and son of Winfield’s former Dr. Billy Nordyke.
For several years Brad Nordyke has thanked the people in his hometown of Winfield, by making sure each child in the WMU school district receives a gift of their choice from the array of items he has provided. It is a tradition that is greatly appreciated by townsfolk.
Once the shoppers are back in class with gifts in tow, the work from the volunteers continues. Leftover gifts are sorted, notes are taken as to what items need replenished, and totes are returned to storage to await next year when the process begins again. Every volunteer is appreciated. Without them there would be no Santa Workshop.
