Christmas Mother starts campaign
Published 10:12 pm Wednesday, November 2, 2016
- JORDAN MILES | HERALD Farmville Mayor David Whitus, seated, recently signed a proclamation in recognition of the Heart of Virginia Christmas Mother Program — an initiative being spearheaded to help needy families this Christmas by raising $20,000 and collecting gently used items, including toys, books and clothing. Pictured with Whitus are, standing, from left, 2016 Christmas Mother Nancy Haga, Town Manager Gerald Spates, Christmas Mother Board Member and Junior Woman’s Club President Evelyn Francis (holding her daughter, Brynn) and Christmas Mother Treasurer Lynn Chapman.
A new organization to help needy children in Farmville and Prince Edward County — being led by a career mother, caretaker and provider to the needy — is seeking support from the community.
With Farmville community leader and volunteer Nancy Haga as the program’s face, the newly established Heart of Virginia Christmas Mother organization is seeking to raise $20,000 in donations to provide presents for families in need this Christmas.
Haga, who has been caring for children since her first son was born when she was 25, is working with the organization’s board to raise awareness, bring in donations of money, gently used items and gifts in kind, all to help area children’s Christmas a little brighter for years to come.
“The mother gives the stability to the household,” Haga said, relating the program to her experience of caring for children and others.
At one point, Haga had about six Chinese foreign exchange students living in her basement.
JORDAN MILES | HERALD
Fuqua School — as an in-kind gift to the Heart of Virginia Christmas Mother — has built, painted and will maintain several 8-foot wooden Christmas Trees throughout town, denoting levels of fundraising. Second-year foreign exchange student Nataliia Berezhaya, far right, was instrumental in painting and cutting out the wood for the trees. Pictured are, from left, Christy Murphy, Forrest Layne, Bernard Watkins, Ronald Williams, Carroll Gillispie and Berezhaya.
“I took the child of a mother that needed to go in treatment for alcoholism. She lived with us for about three months … I’ve had a lot of foreign students life with Ralph (Haga’s late husband) and me. I call them my basement dwellers … No one has ever paid a cent to live in our basement. Not a cent.”
Farmville Junior Woman’s Club President Evelyn Francies, who also serves on the Christmas Mother board, said Carter’s Flower Shop and Rochette’s Florist approached the group for Good Neighbor Day.
“They wanted to throw an idea out to us. We would partner with them for the Good Neighbor Day if all the proceeds … went to … children in the area (for Christmas presents and) children that may not receive Christmas presents,” Francis said.
The idea, introduced in 2014, has expanded from helping 30 children in 2014 to 50 last year.
“Ever since, we’ve just been kind of thinking, ‘You know, how do other counties do it? They help so many more children. We’re not helping enough,’” Francis said.
The Christmas Mother idea came up while speaking to people from different counties.
“We started taking some ideas from them and incorporating them,” Francis said, adding, “(We) couldn’t have thought of a better Christmas Mother than Nancy.”
Haga is well known in the community through her longtime involvement with the Prince Edward Volunteer Rescue Squad. In her role as the program’s inaugural Christmas Mother, she wants to see more children in the community receive the same love and happiness she’s provided.
“Wouldn’t it be wonderful if this could become a big deal with all of the civic clubs and all of the garden clubs and all of the others got together on one big project a year?” Haga asked.
The culmination of the project will take place at the Firemen’s Sports Area in Farmville, where parents can “shop” for presents for their children. Averaging about $100 per child, Christmas Mother is hoping to help 200 children this year.
“According to the Department of Social Services, there are approximately 200 children in this area that are living in poverty or a level of income that they might not receive Christmas (presents) or their family just can’t do it,” Francis said.
“We are in the process of seeing if we can incorporate those into one big project,” Haga added.
Though the goal for this year is $20,000, Francis doesn’t want any parent who meets the set criteria to be turned away. Also, while monetary donations are important, Christmas Mother is also accepting in-kind gifts and gently used toys, clothes and other items.
One of the program’s goals is to get people to shop, raise funds and rally behind needy families year round.
“We’re going to continue asking the community for nominations for Christmas Mothers. We want to honor … whoever kind of embodies that spirit of taking care of those children during Christmas,” Francis said.
So far, the support Christmas Mother has received has “blown away” program organizers, Francis said. As of Wednesday, the organization had taken in more than $7,500, with more pledged.
Also, Fuqua School students erected and are maintaining wooden Christmas trees, which depict the level of fundraising. Volunteers will be needed Dec. 8 when gifts are distributed at the Firemen’s Sports Arena.
Francis and Haga said support from the town, notably from Mayor David Whitus and Town Manager Gerald Spates, has been “incredible.”
Gently used items can be dropped off at both branches of Citizen’s Bank & Trust, Benchmark Community Bank’s Main Street location, Statewide Realty and the rescue squad building.
For more information on the program, to donate to the Christmas Mother or for an application, call (434) 392-5559, email heartofvirginiachristmasmother@gmail.com, visit www.heartofvirginiachristmasmother.com or search “Heart of Virginia Christmas Mother” on Facebook. Applications for need are available at the Farmville-Prince Edward Community Library and online.
