Great Gifts for Holiday Giving
Posted on November 30, 2007 by Randy Maiers
I have my Christmas wish list ready early and I thought I would share it with you. This one might not be like the other lists you see this time of year. Mine might be a tad bit more expensive. I’m not talking about gifts at the level of those in the Robb Report, but close.
This wish list isn’t for me though, but if you insist, I could use a new set of golf clubs. Actually, this list is for you, to give you some ideas on how to spread out your giving this time of year. This is a list you can share with your family, friends and co-workers. Maybe they’ll join you and together you could create your own “holiday giving circle” like the Women’s Initiative of the Community Foundation does.
These are in no particular order of priority or cost, rather just in the sequence that I’ve thought of them over the last few weeks. Let me start though with what may be the coolest gift. But we need more than one of them. It’s the X4 Extreme Power Wheelchair available at mobility-usa.com with a starting price of about $15,000. This isn’t your father’s chair either (sorry Oldsmobile). It’s a four-wheel drive wheelchair that will go through sand, mud, snow and just about any surface its owner may face. How about one each for every public park and beach in the county? Gigi Mericka and the Access to Recreation team are actually working on this one, but they could use some help.
Speaking of the Access to Recreation program, Cindy Babisz is one of the people leading the effort in the Algonac area for the “Extreme Pool Makeover” of the public pool in Algonac at Lions Field. They need to raise $25,000 to secure a matching $25,000 from the Kellogg Foundation, which will allow them to renovate and upgrade the pool house and pool. You’re on my wish list, Cindy.
For Rick Garcia, the new Executive Director of the United Way, I wish him a successful first campaign and a long and productive tenure in our community. For Tyrone Burrell, Executive Director of SONS, I wish him a surplus budget every year, forever, so the SONS organization can someday have a permanent home large enough for all of the great programs and projects they offer to young people. But a modest building, Tyrone.
For our soup kitchens and food pantry’s, I wish them shelves that are constantly restocked with boxed and canned goods, cereals, baby foods, diapers, toiletries, and all of the basic necessities that many of us take for granted. If you want to see how far you can stretch $100 give it to Alice Rieves at Mid-City Nutrition, the Salvation Army on Court Street, or through Trinity United Methodist Church in Algonac.
For Jenny Schultz at Safe Horizons, I wish that all of the women and children in your shelters have their own wish lists fulfilled, and that your organization secures another $25,000 or so in gifts to be matched by the Citizens First Foundation. That would give Safe Horizons a $200,000 endowment fund (a good start) to help protect their future.
This may seem like an odd time to wish for air conditioning, but every September, and again in every June, I wish that our schools had air conditioning. I’m not sure how the teachers, staff and kids can concentrate on their work when it’s 80+ degrees outside and hotter inside. I can’t give you a cost on this wish though, but let’s just say it’s a lot. The next time a new school is built, let’s give them air.
For our friends in Marine City, I wish them a marketing, advertising and publicity campaign that makes more people aware of what a great little waterfront community they have. It’s one of my favorites. A few million bucks for their old city hall wouldn’t hurt either, but even the readers of the Robb Report might have trouble with that one.
For the City of St. Clair? Well, they’re doing pretty well. I wish them continued success as they transition from their visioning process into reality. I don’t live in St. Clair, but if I had a vote, I would support the plans of their DDA to open up and renovate their mall area. The plans and ideas so far look wonderful. I would wish for a few more people named Moore or Lockwood, but that gets into human cloning and all kinds of ethical dilemmas.
For the kids at Cleveland Elementary, Algonac Elementary and Woodrow Wilson, how about a rotating set of 25 season tickets to the new Ice Hawks hockey team, plus coupons for free hot dogs and drinks for every kid. Round trip bus transportation would be helpful too.
That’s my list. Happy Holidays!
