Each year for the past 3 years, the Hammond Chapter of the National Junior Beta Club has adopted a varying number of Columbia families through The Nurturing Center in an effort to make the holiday season brighter for those in the community who are less fortunate.

“The Nurturing Center is an independent, private, non-profit agency dedicated to nurturing trusting relationships between parents and children.” The stated goal of the Center “is to prevent, treat and break the cycle of abuse and neglect for children and families throughout the Midlands.” This year in addition to providing Christmas gifts (toys, clothes, bedding, small appliances and tools) for five families consisting of 8 adults and 13 children, we were also able to provide extra funds to assist with other adopted families, 18 newborn baby baskets, arts and crafts supplies to be used at the Center year round, and money for juice and snacks for the children who visit the Center with their parents.

Middle School students from 5th, 6th and 7th Grade voluntarily joined their 8th grade Beta Club classmates in raising an incredible $8,500. In keeping with the spirit of a service project, this amount of money was not all simply cash donations, students were encouraged to give their time and talent to others as a way of honoring the true meaning of the season. At assembly on Friday December 1st, Mrs. Sally Aldridge outlined just some of the wonderful ways our students raised this money:

You were extra-nice to your siblings
Taught tennis lessons
Collected a neighbor’s newspaper each day
Put together a cookbook and sold them to neighbors for a donation
You held your own sports camp for younger children in the neighborhood
Planned and executed a birthday party for a younger sister
And you babysat

Organized a Christmas card list; organized files,
Fed the dogs and took care of a neighbor’s dog
Ironed,
Helped serve others a Thanksgiving meal
You helped cook your own Thanksgiving meal
Raked many many many leaves
And you babysat

You gave your own allowance money,
Washed cars and trucks,
Baked cookies and took them to neighbors, and then accepted donations
Helped your parents more than usual,
Cleaned up the house in preparation for the holidays —scrubbed, vacuumed, mopped
Honored other requests made by your parents
And you babysat

You organized the garage
Helped your grandmother with her Christmas decorations
Collected 235 gently used children’s books from neighbors and friends, and accepted $1.00 donation for each book
Helped other worthy causes: Heartworks Ministry, the Jubilee Academy and Harvest Hope, Pets Incorporated, the Animal Shelter, and the Salvation Army Donated 5th and 6th grade Monster Mash extra funds
Took over Dad’s trash duty for one year
Did someone else’s dirty laundry
And you baby sat…

You made cookies for a nursing home
Spread sand in the community sandbox and placed mulch over the playground
Visited shut-ins
Wrapped parent’s Christmas gifts
Moved logs
Framed pictures for a new restaurant
Helped a business get ready for their after-Thanksgiving sale
And of course, you babysat!

All the hard work did not end with simply raising the money. Last Saturday morning, Mrs. Sally Aldridge and Mrs. Peta Miller met 50 eager and excited Middle School students at Target at Woodhill Mall. Groups of students were given shopping lists for each family member and diligently went to work. Skills learned in Math class certainly came to the fore as student’s demonstrated their ability to stretch their dollars and stay within budget.

All the gifts were then assembled (thanks to Lee Shepherd, Jeff and Jamie Miller for assembling 4 bicycles, a toy car and a table and chairs in record time), boxed and labeled (thanks to Mrs. Beth Barnwell and Ms. Hollie Tripp) and then loaded into cars and trucks for the trip to the Nurturing Center.

Special thanks also goes to Mr. Mike Barnwell for his wonderful photographs, Ms. Charlotte Talley and Mr. Steven Hillard for their help with the shopping and Mr. Rick McCormick for being a constant source of support at every stage of this project.

Lastly, but most importantly a huge thank you must go to all the parents of our Middle School students who supported this project whether it was in the “quiet” of their own homes, shopping at Target on Saturday morning ,or delivering the gifts to the Nurturing Center on Saturday afternoon.

As we stood in a circle at the Nurturing Center on Saturday afternoon, Mrs. Kathy Holder shared a letter from one of the families Beta Club helped last year. In her letter, the mother said, “This experienced has left me humbled and thankful for every stranger I meet and with every smile, I say thank you because that kind gracious stranger may have been you. So to you all I say thank you. Thank you for my new found hope for the people in this world.” Through our combined efforts, the Hammond Middle School community has certainly been touched by the true meaning of the holiday season.

Story contributed by:
Mrs. Peta Miller
Beta Co-Sponsor