CHRISTMAS FOR ELDERLY

For Mrs. J, Christmas came a little early this year. She clapped her hands and giggled in pleasure as Cape Girardeau County Health Department nurse Vicky McDowell carried the brightly-wrapped gifts into her home.

The gifts came from Christmas for the Elderly and the hundreds of people who donated both presents and money to make this Christmas special for needy, elderly neighbors.

Nurses with the health department have been bringing Christmas to elderly people like Mrs. J for the past week.

Mrs. J's home is decorated with a ceramic Christmas tree, a gift from a past Christmas for the Elderly campaign. She showed off the lighted tree with pride.

This year, Mrs. J received an assortment of wrapped boxes for herself and gifts for her best friend and companion, Nikki, a little dog.

Mrs. J allowed Nikki to enjoy her gifts, but saved her own presents until Christmas. At least, she said, she will try to wait until Christmas to open them.

The dog received a beautiful, handcrafted dog bed, which both the dog and Mrs. J adored. Nikki also got some dog toys and the special dog food she requires.

Mrs. J, a diabetic, did allow herself some treats from a fruit basket.

As the nurse prepared to leave, Mrs. J hugged her and thanked her for bringing Christmas to her this year.

Without Christmas for the Elderly, the holiday could have been lonely. But Mrs. J and the other elderly people who receive gifts through the program know there are people in the community who care.

This year's campaign was a hands-down success, as each of the six previous campaigns have been. The people of the community always give generously to the project.

Contributions filled the Christmas lists for all 12 elderly families featured in the newspaper.

Cash donations totaled over $8,000. The money will assist hundreds of other needy senior citizens this Christmas and throughout the year.

This year's campaign also proves that every little bit adds up. Very large contributions, over $1,000 from a single source, are down this year, but the total amount of money given is the same. That means more people gave checks for smaller amounts to make sure Christmas will be special for their elderly neighbors.

Christmas for the Elderly is a joint project of the Cape Girardeau Health Department and the Southeast Missourian newspaper. For more information, call Kim McDowell at 335-6611.