Christmas Shop

This is the Rotary Club’s annual Children’s Christmas Shopping Project. 

The Rotary Club of Crystal River, Rotary Club of Inverness, Central Citrus Rotary, Rotray Club of Homosassa, Sugarmill Woods Rotary and King’s Bay Rotary join to meet the needs of the community by targeting underprivileged and financially needy children in order to provide them, and their families, with gifts for Christmas. 

The children will meet the above criteria and be between the ages of seven and thirteen.  The candidates will be selected through recommendations from our community school’s Guidance Departments and through The Family Resource Center.  

The event will take place at K-Mart in the Crystal River Mall on Saturday, December 5, 2009 at approximately 7:00 A.M.  Each child will be paired with a Rotarian Chaperone and provided with a $100.00 budget with which to purchase gifts.  A light breakfast, to include juice and milk, will be planned.  Each chaperone is then responsible for watching over their child, assisting with shopping list, budgeting, and checking out.  Rotary expects the children to spend all of their $100.00.  Rotary will retain the receipts. 

After shopping the children will be transported to the Plantation Inn where the volunteers will assist the children with the wrapping and tagging of purchases.  During this time the children are treated to pizza, cookies, drinks, and music.  The Children’s Christmas Shopping will end by approximately 11:30 A.M. 

Rotarians will implement all phases including grant application, coordination of volunteers, contacting of schools, coordination of children through guidance departments, contacting care givers, mailing of notices, securing permission signatures, transportation arrangements, gathering and tracking supplies (wrapping paper, etc.) and financial contributions and pledges, coordination for K-Mart staff, Plantation staff, set-up, registration, clean up, publicity, final reporting, and so on. 

This is a major hands-on project with guaranteed potential to make a difference and improve the lives of some deserving Citrus County Children.  Our opportunity to mentor and model for these children as we guide them through the morning is another bond between Rotary and our Community.

 All contributions of any amount are needed.

Please send whatever you can spare to brighten the holiday for our kids to:

Krys Baum

Community Service Chair

Rotary Club of Crystal River

P.O. BOX 2203

Crystal River, FL 34423

Or, for more information contact

Krys Baum at 352-795-4008

email: naturecoastbs@earthlink.net