Tree of Joy reaches over 300 children
The White Salmon-Bingen Rotary Club came together on December 10, 2024 to wrap gifts that members sourced for 50 children this year, doubling their previous efforts with the help of a grant from Rotary District 5100.
Washington Gorge Action Programs:
By Tamara Kaufman
Klickitat County, WA December 16, 2024 — Donors responded to a call to help even more families this holiday season through the Tree of Joy program run by Washington Gorge Action Programs (WAGAP), increasing the number of children reached by nearly 100 this year.
“It’s such an amazing thing to see the community come together to help support families in need,” said Kristi Packer, a WAGAP housing program coordinator from Goldendale. Her team connected with families they thought could use a little extra help in the Goldendale area. Then, they sourced more donors.
First time Tree of Joy donor, local community member Penny Johnsrud was very excited to bring gifts to the WAGAP Bingen office and shared them with Juan Reyes, associate director.
“We did outreach for sponsors, both online and in person, going business to business in our community to spread the word,” Packer said. “We also have collected gifts in our housing office, getting them organized and ready to hand out in time for Christmas.”
Previously known as Christmas for Community Children, the grassroots effort began in the early 2000s and was run by caring individual volunteers working with local schools in White Salmon. The goal was to provide essential winter items like cold-weather coats, clothing, hats, gloves, and boots with a special gift item or toy that brightens a child’s holiday season.
In a push to make it more sustainable, the White Salmon-Bingen Rotary Club, whose members like Gary Clouse had been among the project’s original volunteers, approached WAGAP in 2017 to consider becoming the primary entity to coordinate efforts. The Community Action Agency used its Food Bank Network to help identify families in need, taking the burden off local school counselors and preventing duplication of requests.
The program was rebranded as Tree of Joy and grew from 100 to 200 children being supported yearly. Still centered in White Salmon/Bingen, the Food Banks began to fill a few requests from the Stevenson and Goldendale WAGAP offices. This year, Packer’s team wanted to make an even bigger impact in the community.
Jennifer King of Insitu brings employees gifts for the Tree of Joy to the Bingen Food Bank and hands them off to Juan Reyes, WAGAP associate director.
“We work with many families who are struggling to make ends meet, who are trying to decide if they put their money towards rent, food or energy assistance, living paycheck to paycheck,” Packer said. “I love being able to help families feel less stressed. It makes my heart happy being able to help provide gifts for their littles and give them something else to look forward to.”
The effort was a recipe for success. This year, the Tree of Joy is reaching 108 children in Eastern Klickitat County, 194 in Western Klickitat County, and six in Skamania County. WAGAP has been the coordinator for vetting families, sourcing wish lists, and organizing deliveries, but the businesses, organizations, and individual donors supply the wrapped gifts.
“Seeing the Tree of Joy grow over the years has been a wonderful journey for our members,” said Chuck Henschel, president of the White Salmon-Bingen Rotary Club. “Our club initially sponsored a handful of students and gradually increased to 25 children. This year, we secured matching funds from our Rotary District 5100 grant program, allowing us to expand to 50 children. We are proud to make a major impact in the program, helping families in need relieve their holiday financial burden.”
White Salmon-Bingen Rotary Club President Chuck Henschel helps to organize the gifts before they head to WAGAP for delivery.
Packer couldn’t agree more with Henschel’s sentiment as she added, “Over the years, I have witnessed such a gathering of kind humans in our town come forward and donate their time, money, services, and energy towards helping others. It’s such a blessing.”
Annual planning for the Tree of Joy typically begins by the end of September. To participate as a future donor, contact Patty Gallardo by email at patty@wagap.org to get added to the list for 2025. To learn more about other programs helping families in need in Klickitat and Skamania counties, visit https://www.wagap.org/ or call 509-493-2662.
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Washington Gorge Action Programs (WAGAP) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit Community Action Agency that helps individuals, families, and communities. WAGAP addresses basic human needs, including food, shelter, energy assistance, and more, in Skamania and Klickitat Counties. For more than 50 years, WAGAP has helped people help themselves and reach self-sufficiency. Learn more at wagap.org, or contact WAGAP at (509) 493-2662 or info@wagap.org.
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