Every year on the first Friday of December, the Twin Cities Rotary Club holds its annual Christmas Party for its members. This is not your typical “office holiday party,” however. The Club has this event for one purpose – to fill their Giving Tree. Bob Cosser, Rotary member and one of the main organizers of the Giving Tree, describes it as their “Charlie Brown Tree,” that needs to be dressed up with donations in order to look great for the holidays.
“It’s a festive event, but we know the reason we are meeting there that night is to help others,” he says.
The Jeff Alverson Giving Tree, named after a member of the Twin Cities Rotary who passed away from cancer, uses the funds raised to buy gift cards from Walmart and, this year, Sunbirds Shopping Center, which are then distributed to families in need in time for Christmas shopping. Jeff was the store manager at the Chehalis Walmart Supercenter and helped establish the relationship between the Rotary and the store for the Giving Tree. Because of his efforts, each year Walmart donates $1000 in gift cards on top of whatever the Rotary has raised.
“It’s a win-win situation both for us and for Walmart because of course the gift certificates come from there and so are then used there,” Bob explains. “The only guidelines we have is that they cannot use them on alcohol or tobacco products.”
Last year, Sunbird gave $500 in gift cards on top of what The Rotary was already planning on purchasing.
The Rotary members pick a school that they know has many families in need. Then, the school staff is asked to make a list. “The people that make this show go are the office staff and the health department,” Bob says. “They see these people daily and really know their need.”
This year’s school has been chosen, but since the gift cards are a surprise, they are keeping that information to themselves for now. In the past, they have helped Onalaska, Pe Ell, White Pass, R.E. Bennet and Fords Prairie school families, as well as flood victims, senior citizens, and other families in need.
This year, the chosen school’s staff were asked to compile a list of at least 25 families that need the most help. Then, Bob Cosser and Bill Logan, another Rotary member, will go through the list and decide what to give each family, depending on how much is raised at the Christmas Party on December 2.
The gift cards are distributed in person by a member of the school staff and a couple Rotary members, usually Bob and Bill. It takes them a couple days going door-to-door to hand out all the cards. This, in itself, is a reward as they get to meet the people they are helping. Hugs and tears are often shared by the grateful recipients.
“One year we had a lady ask if she could use the money to buy tires for her car because hers were completely bald and she needed to drive her kids to and from school,” Bill says. “So sometimes, it’s an either/or situation. They buy presents, but sometimes there is a need for something real.” Another woman started to cry when they handed her the gift cards. She had just had an argument with herself on the way home whether she was going to buy presents for her children or pay rent.
Since 2000, the Twin Cities Rotary has donated over $125,000 in gift cards to local families. Incredibly, this money has been almost solely given by the Rotary’s members, their families and past members at the Christmas party, with no outside fundraising. Of the 60 members, usually two-thirds attend the fundraiser. “We don’t know how much people give individually,” Bob explains. “We have three or four major givers, but they are not the type to raise their hands and say ‘we gave $2000.’ It’s usually very quiet.”
This is just a tradition they have created to give back to the community they love, and no praise is necessary. Bob and Bill do include self-addressed, stamped envelopes with thank you cards to each family, so they can write a simple note of thanks. These are then passed around the Rotary members, but that’s it.
If you would like to help, you do not need to be a member of the Rotary. You can mail a check, made payable to the “Twin Cities Rotary Foundation,” to P.O. Box 6, Chehalis. Checks need to be received by no later than December 10. The foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and can send you a receipt for tax purposes. For more information, including how to become a member, visit the Twin Cities Rotary website or email them at twincitiesrotary@yahoo.com.
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