N.C. Department of Correction--Correction News--January 1998
Children Unwrap Gifts Thanks to DOC Angel Tree
Nearly 600 children and senior citizens will have their Christmas brightened thanks to an Angel Tree project organized by a group of North Carolina Department of Correction employees.
 Sec. Jarvis and Abigail
Sanchez |
"This project is what the spirit of Christmas is
all about," said state Correction Secretary Mack
Jarvis, speaking to more than 500 employees to kick off
the Angel Tree project. "In the last year,
correction employees have heroically rescued traffic
accident victims, helped communities recover from
hurricanes and ice storms, collected caps for children
being treated for cancer and contributed to their
communities in many ways. Thinking of others during the
busy holiday season is another fine example of our
employees’s spirit of caring, concern and
action." With Jarvis’s support, Gloria Shephard of the department’s Management Information Systems office organized the project that asked correction employees working in Wake County to provide gifts for those in need. "We wanted to do something that would have an impact in the community," Shepherd said. "We wanted people to see that we’re not just an agency of discipline, but of love as well." |
Shepherd and a team of correction employees volunteered their time and contacted Wake County Human Services and the Salvation Army for the names of people who needed help. Other employees recommended the department help the Central Children’s Home of North Carolina and the Oxford Masonic Orphanage, both in Oxford. And 60 correction employees who were recovering from crises were also included. In all, Shepherd said the department’s Angel Tree was filled with 585 names.
 Gloria Shepherd, |
The Angel Tree names and their wishes were circulated
through correction offices in November. All but a few
names were selected. A fundraising project insured gifts
for all. A number of food baskets were prepared for
senior citizens. Transportation arrangements were made to
grant a Wendell woman’s request, so her 71-year-old
brother could make the trip from a Raleigh nursing center
to visit her home Christmas day. Another group of
correction employees took on the special task of finding
bicycles that children requested on their wish list. Some
offices pooled their resources to buy new bikes and
others made repairs to used two--wheelers. Teresa Ramano, Albert Anderson, Doug Holbrook, William Parrish, Emilie Holloway, Audrey Bailey, Betty Chapman, Sarah Wilder, Brenda Patrick, Debra Dixon, Wanda Brown, Ina Hinton and Crystal Bowles helped to coordinate the project. |
NC DOC Correction News-
January 1998
NC Department of Correction News
NC
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