Jake Browning
reporter@thefranklinpress.com
Christmas came early at Macon Citizens Habilities when student representatives of the Future Business Leaders of America and Skills USA came from Franklin High School to give out gifts.
Franklin High has mounted an annual Christmas visit to the exceptional citizens resource facility for several decades now. Each year, the clubs involved gather wish lists from Habilities clients and go out shopping for items like books, snacks, board games, puzzles and other things they can enjoy when they come to Habilities. Everyone gets a big stocking stuffed with their personalized gifts.
“For over 20 years, we’ve been blessed by Franklin High School with their annual visit,” said Habilities director Christi Huff. “It’s the highlight of Christmas for a lot of them. They get a lot of things that they need, but also a lot of things that they want.”
The guests at the Christmas party couldn’t agree more. They had a blast poring over gifts with the students like they were having an early Christmas morning, not to mention hanging out with Santa, Mrs. Claus and even the Grinch.
Leanne Webb said she’s always sure to come to Habilities around Christmas time for the special occasion.
“I can’t wait to open up all my presents over here,” Webb said.
It takes about two months of preparation and some significant fundraising to get all of the gifts together in time for Christmas, but FBLA president Kayden Thompson said that it’s a labor of love. He says that visiting Habilities is one of the club’s most important annual projects because of the influence it has on both exceptional citizens and volunteers form the school.
“It takes about two months to put everything together, but I’ve been doing this for three years now and I don’t really notice the time anymore,” Thompson said. “It gives you so much perspective on the difference between wants and needs, and how that affects other people. It’s definitely one of my favorite things that we do all year.”
FBLA staff supervisor Michelle Brooks said that participating in the visit is good for her students. Especially around the holidays, she feels that getting them involved in giving gifts to others helps foster a sense of community and appreciation for life’s simple pleasures.
“It’s good for the kids to give something back to the community,” Brooks said. “It helps them appreciate the little things.”
Huff said that any event Habilities can organize that will bring in more people and make the general population more aware of the resources they have to offer is an asset to them, especially if it encourages more interaction for their guests.
“It’s important for everyone to have that dual interaction,” Huff said. “It reminds everyone that we’re all one big community.”
For more information on services and programs offered through Macon Citizens Habilities, go to maconcitizens.org or call 828-524-5888.