| DECEMBER
22, 2005
Tucson Weekly
Irene Messina
Eight people and groups who strive
to make Tucson--and the world--a better place
Miracle on Church Street assures that needy kids have a merry
Christmas
Lorraine Anderson grew up in one of the poorest sections of Boston.
Like many children, she dreamt of a festive and magical Christmas with
presents, delicious food and a beautiful tree. For some, this dream came
true. But for Anderson, it did not.
She grew up during the Depression, with no money for Christmas
gifts or a family meal. No Santa. No wonderment of the season. These memories
stayed with Anderson.
She vowed that no child in her community would have to
face the holiday like she did.
In 1995, Anderson began to change the face of Christmas
for Tucson's underprivileged children. She started Miracle on Church Street
and threw a party at the Tucson Convention Center.
"I started with 300 children visiting. I thought
it was great," says Anderson. This year, she served about 2,200 children
on Dec. 17, at the 11th annual gathering.
The six-hour party offers underprivileged youth a chance
to experience the magic of Christmas. Mr. and Mrs. Claus arrive with the
help of Tucson firefighters via fire truck. There's plenty of ice cream,
popcorn and snacks, plus face painting, jumping castles and coloring.
Each child goes home with several toys.
And everything is free. But take a look behind the scenes
of this massive holiday party, and you'll see free is not the reality.
"Business people determined this would cost more
than $63,000 if I had to pay for everything," says Anderson. Corporate
sponsors include Lisa Frank, Truly Nolen, Blue Bunny Ice Cream and Crosstown
Traders. Donations are 90 percent in-kind goods. A private citizen pays
the $4,000 TCC rental fee. A toy drive at Alberstons/Osco also helps.
Even so, Miracle on Church Street needs financial assistance.
Some years have seen no surplus, or at most, $2,000.
Anderson, who turns 82 in April, expends a great deal
of effort to raise money. "I send out hundreds of letters to every
business, every bank, every person, every organization. Everyone knows
me. I beg them to take a look at the Web site. Maybe they will understand
why I need financial help."
Anderson toils into the early morning hours at her desk,
which is piled high with papers and envelopes that need to be mailed out.
She sleeps about three hours a night and can field more than 50 phone
calls a day. Without any steady volunteers to help during the year, she
handles all administrative tasks.
And this doesn't include Anderson's work on the toys.
Her garage is stacked with road-racing kits, blocks, Barbie dolls and
bags of stuffed animals. She receives many plush toys from resale shops
and washes each one. "I wash thousands of toys," Anderson reports.
She also repairs tattered ones--sewing holes, fixing hair, replacing bows--all
with loving care. Listening to Anderson explain all of this was enough
to bring a tear to my eye.
Anderson is clearly making a difference, as the city of
Tucson named her Citizen of the Year in 2004. That same year, the Volunteer
Center of Southern Arizona named her Volunteer of the Year.
But what's most important to Anderson is the difference
she makes with children's health issues. "I get plastic bags and
put in educational books about no smoking, no drinking, pencils, coloring
books ... and tie it tight. We give this gift bag to the mother or guardian,
as children come from all local agencies. That bag is the most important
thing I give away. It gets into that home. In there, someone may learn
not to smoke or not to drink. That's very important to me. If I help one
person to stop that, it's all worthwhile."
What's also important to Anderson is for people to understand
the issue of poverty in Tucson. She says she has begged city and county
officials to visit the underprivileged children at her annual event--to
no avail. According to a city government report using data from the 2000
Census, 26 percent of Tucson children younger than 18 live below the poverty
level. She says we all need to know this.
"If this happened to me when I was a child 75 years
ago, and it's still going on, it's going to keep going on. ... Please
realize how important this 11-year program is. It's a program that needs
to be continued. It should be kept going so it's there for the kids."
About
Truly Nolen
Founded in 1938, Tucson, Arizona-based Truly Nolen of America
is one of the largest family owned pest control companies in the United
States. Truly Nolen has 69 branch offices in Arizona, California, Florida,
Nevada, New Mexico, Texas and Utah. The company also has independently
owned and operated franchises in an ever-growing number of territories,
including California, Utah, Texas, New York, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri,
Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Florida and Ohio,
as well as Puerto Rico.
For more
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