In the spirit of the holidays, Scotts Valley Target and San Lorenzo Valley (SLV) Rotarians partnered for their Annual Christmas Shop to benefit 15 local families.
With the support of the San Lorenzo Valley School District, PTAs (Parent Teacher Associations) from San Lorenzo Valley High School and Middle School, and San Lorenzo Valley and Boulder Creek Elementary Schools combined forces with district office staff to create a generous budget for each of the 15 local students who were able to shop to their hearts’ content.
The Rotary Club, whose motto is “Service above self,” was founded in Chicago in 1905, and currently has over 46,000 chapters, including locations in Santa Cruz, Scotts Valley and SLV.
While the 2021 shopping event was conducted online due to the pandemic, this year’s experience was done in-person, with Rotarian and Interact (teenaged Rotarians of the future) volunteers guiding the lucky youngsters through the store, and then on to Round Table Pizza in Scotts Valley, where gifts were wrapped and volunteers, shoppers and their families were treated to lunch.
“The district was happy to partner with the Rotary Club of San Lorenzo Valley and others in supporting 15 local students during the 2022 Holiday Shop event. From the smiles on the children’s faces that day, we’re certain there will be a little extra joy for them and their families during this holiday season,” said Andrew Lucia, assistant superintendent with SLVUSD and president-elect of Rotary Club of SLV.
Cynthia Sekkel, Rotary Club member, enjoyed the camaraderie of the day.
“Sharing the shopping spree with the students and my assigned Interact member was a successful team experience,” Sekkel said. “There was so much energy and interaction. The hour time limit flew past us with the excitement of what to buy each child’s family member. And like any family, we had a budget that we had to stay within. After shopping we enjoyed a good time talking, eating pizza and wrapping gifts. It truly was a rewarding and memorable morning.”
Anne Stephens joined Rotary Club in April 2020 and is currently a driver with the Grey Bears group, delivering groceries to homebound seniors in the valley. She was thrilled to jump out of the driver’s seat and participate in the shopping event.
“We volunteered to help guide our school shopper, Flora, to pick out Christmas gifts for her family,” Stephens said. “She had a limited budget from which to purchase gifts. She was given a paper tablet/pencil, which allowed her to monitor her expenditures to remain within her budget. We were so proud as she did the math herself. I received great enjoyment watching her enthusiasm and she received her first lesson on how to budget her money.”
Do you have a passion for community, service and friendship? Consider volunteering for your local Rotary Club. For more information, visit rotary.org.
