The Season

Dropping temperatures and the fiery colors of the leaves on the trees have been alerting me to the change in seasons. But adverts from Dollar Tree in my inbox are heralding the start of the Christmas shopping season. Of course, Halloween is still almost two weeks away, but, roll on toys and tinsel!

One truly good reason to plan ahead for the holidays is the Homewood School’s 17th Annual Treasure Sale. From event organizer Suzanne McMurtray:

More than 60% of Homewood's alternative education students qualify for Free and Reduced Meals and we do not have a PTA. We need new items to stock our socially distant Treasure Sale so our kids can choose holiday gifts for their loved ones. Thank you for helping our #HomewoodFamily!

This year we need our friends, families, and community more than ever. We have a goal to collect over 1,000 new items using the Homewood Treasure Sale Wish List. Amazon will ship your donation directly to the Homewood Center. Thank you for looking at our list and making this a special December to remember for a young person.

If you’ve donated to the Treasure Sale in years past you’ll see that this year’s is a bit different. Life in the age of COVID means all treasures must be ordered new from their Amazon wish list. Of course, this has the added convenience that all items will be delivered to the Homewood Center. Here is the Treasure Sale Wish List: 

Homewood Treasure Sale Wish List

I took a look at it the other day and was pleased to see that there’s a good variety in item cost. Gifts range from about five dollars at the low end to about thirty dollars max. So you don’t have to spend a lot to make a difference. The Treasure Sale is just one part of what makes the Homewood Center a special community for kids who need extra support. I’ve seen photos from years past and the joy on students’ faces is contagious. You feel happy just witnessing their happiness.

The Treasure Sale fosters what I believe is the most important part of the holiday season: the joy of being able to give to others. Each year people in our community care enough to help students show love for their own families, to experience the fun and excitement of picking out gifts, the anticipation of imagining a family member’s face as they unwrap a carefully-chosen item. It’s a living, breathing example of Social Emotional learning which these students will undoubtedly remember all their lives. 

This year’s event will look different, as it will be marked by physical distancing , the wearing of masks and the use of hand sanitizer: all necessary in our present pandemic world. But the joy will remain the same. 

If you can, shop the list and help them out. If you can’t afford to do that right now, you can still help by sharing their Amazon List (or perhaps even this blog post) with your friends on social media.

The spirit of giving is alive and well at Homewood. You can help them share the joy.