By JULIE CARLE
BG Independent News
The residents and staff of the Juvenile Residential Center of Northwest Ohio donned their Santa hats this year to make the holidays a little brighter for many local children.
Together they raised more than $1,000, enough to surround the facility’s Christmas tree with games, toys, bikes, skateboards, helmets and more. The toys will be donated to the local Marines’ Toys for Tots on Thursday (Dec. 15).
According to the center’s director, Montana Crawford, every year the center raises money to buy toys to donate to the local campaign. This year was extra special, not only because it was the most money they have raised for the holiday gift-giving campaign, but also because a number of the residents contributed this year.
The residents, comprised of male felony offenders between the ages of 12 and 18, were able to contribute to the campaign using points they earned for good behavior. Usually, those points are used to purchase commissary items or for other privileges.
“I believe the youth were so engaged this year because they felt the positive energy being put towards this by staff,” Crawford said. They also saw it as a competition of them versus the staff; however, both sides wanted to set a record for participation.
Friday morning, some of the staff and residents took advantage of a 10% savings offered at Meijer to pick out the gifts. A few of the youth quickly picked toys for the cart while others were deliberate to make sure it was the right choice.
Crawford said everyone who participated in the shopping excursion had a great time and appreciated being able to participate.
Among the comments from the residents about their reason for giving up some of their points for the holidays:
- “I have personally had to use one of these programs so when I saw I had the opportunity to give back, I took it. I know what it’s like, so I wanted to help those going through the same struggles. I felt a great deal of joy knowing that so many kids would be getting gifts this Christmas. Being able to physically see it was one of the best moments of my life.”
- “I gave my points because I was from a poor family and never got much, if anything, for Christmas, so it was great to help someone have a better Christmas. It made me feel happy to make it possible to make someone’s Christmas better.”
- “I wanted to help give back and give to those who are in need. I felt happy that I helped to make it happen…to make a bunch of kids happy.”
There will be a lot of local children whose wishes are fulfilled this holiday, but the staff and residents at the Juvenile Residential Center of Northwest Ohio also received a gift of good will by contributing to the holiday campaign.
“They really displayed the mindset of wanting to make sure it would be the perfect gift for the child who will receive it. This definitely reinforced why I do what I do, seeing the kids demonstrating some empathy for others,” Crawford said.
