Eblen Charities Kindness In Action Newsletter : December 20, 2019
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Greetings Eblen Charities friends and family!
It's beginning to look a lot like Kindness.. And that's what the Christmas season is all about!
Please feel free to forward us to your family and friends, and we thank you for all that you do with Eblen Charities!
Have a Merry Christmas, and we send you warm wishes for a Happy New Year!
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STAR 104.3 with Josh & Ariel
iHeartradio Asheville
iHeartMedia is a long time partner and sponsor of the Ingles Magical Christmas Toy Drive to benefit the Eblen Charities Saint Nicholas Project. Star 104.3 is the main radio sponsor, along with Rock 105.1, WWNC 570, and ESPN Asheville. Josh and Ariel, Star 104.3's morning talents spend three days broadcasting on air to their listeners telling of the importance of donating to help children in need right here in our community. You can hear their encouraging words inspiring countless numbers of their listeners to stop by and make a donation. They are truly the STAR atop of the tree that is the Ingles Magical Christmas Toy Drive. We are so thankful for this wonderful partnership with iHeartRadio.
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It’s an honor for us to be a part of the Ingles Magical Christmas Toy Drive to benefit Eblen’s St. Nicholas Project year after year. We see every toy and every dollar donated as a separate smile for a child in WNC and nothing could make us prouder of the i-HeartRadio team, our partners, and our listeners as coming together to provide those smiles!"
- Josh Michael & Ariel Rymer of Star 104.3, Asheville’s #1 Hit Music Station
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Saint Nicholas Steering Committee
We are so grateful for the Saint Nicholas Steering Committee members who start working as early as the year is over! We have many volunteers who oversee different parts of this huge project, and all together they make Christmas brighter for thousands of children.
Led by the committee Co-Chairs, Amanda Putnam and Julie Johnson, the store begins it's transformation on November 1
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with the help of Recovery Ventures and numerous school groups, church groups and businesses who come in throughout November and into December to help make it look like a retail store, which gives the clients a true Christmas shopping experience. This year we had groups from Owen High School, Erwin High School, Nesbitt Academy, Koontz Intermediate, Arden Presbyterian Church Youth Group and Biltmore Estate. More than 150 volunteers help set up the Christmas store this year!
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Eblen Elves
Susan Riddle, Eddie Gumm and
The Saint Nicholas Committee Co-Chairs Amanda Putnam and Julie Johnson
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Volunteer Coordinator
Mary Ann McMinn, Eblen's volunteer Volunteer Coordinator is involved in the Saint Nicholas Project year round, as she starts right after Christmas, looking for the bargains and helps coordinate with each part of the Saint Nicholas Committee, where ever she is needed. Thank you Mary Ann for all you do to help make everyone's job easier.
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Client Registration
Bonnie King, a long time Eblen volunteer, oversees the Christmas Registration Volunteers at the Eblen Charities office. Volunteers start November 1
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helping to sign families up for the Saint Nicholas Project allowing Eblen staff to focus on heating assistance. Thank you Bonnie for taking on the Client Registration this year.
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Beverly Knight
Mary Ann McMinn
Bonnie King
Carol Roberts
Jeanne Nagel
Teresa Buckner
Kathryn Powell
Donna Turnbaugh
Diane Frankel
Phyllis and Billy Stowe
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Doris and Dennis Capps
Kathy Norris
Rebecca Ayers
Lani and Don Dahms
Nancy Park
Judy Testo
Maxine Cleveland
Cindy Amberg
Kathy Conley
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Toy Boxes
Tim Gwennap, long time Eblen Charities board member along with his wife Libby, oversee the Toy Box Distribution and Collection. There are more than 170 toy box collection sites and twenty-three volunteers who help drop the toy boxes off to the businesses and pick them up after the Ingles Toy Store opens. These toys help provide Christmas to thousands of children each year! Thank you Tim and Libby for all you do!
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Toy Box Collection Volunteers
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George Suggs
Steve White
Bo McHone
Alan Larson
Tommy Buckner
Dave White
Mark Hobbs
Tim Gwennap
Julie Johnson
Bob Graeme
Rick King
Amanda Putnam
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Greg Gore
Tamara and Byron Terrell
Tracy Vinez
Jay Burleson
Don Dahms
Libby and Tim Gwennap
Ron Whittemore
Eddie Gumm
Sheila Wright
Debbie Lane
John Bates
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The Smoky Mountain Toy Run
The Smoky Mountain Toy Run (chairman Steve Kaser, pictured) distributes the toy boxes (designed by Gary Aiken) in all forty- four Buncombe County Schools and they are picked up by Two Men and a Truck!
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Smoky Mountain Toy Box Volunteers
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Steve Kaser
Phil Thrantham
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Two Men and a Truck
Thank you Two Men and a Truck for supplying all the toy boxes used for toy collection in the schools and businesses, and for picking up all forty-four Buncombe County School sites!
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Teen Zone
Cindy Jordan, another long time volunteer of Eblen, works hard in the Teen Zone to make sure our teenagers are not forgotten. We have more than 1,500 teenagers who are registered each year. The Teen Zone are is open to parents who have children aged 13 and up. Cindy works to ensure teens have appropriate gifts and parents have nice things to choose from! Thank you Cindy for all you do!
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Toy Store Decoration
Judy Testo and Joyce Williams, long time Eblen volunteers and part of the faithful Wednesday crew, have been making the Ingles Toy Store look beautiful for years! They decorate the trees and make beautiful Christmas displays in the front windows, helping our clients have a magical Christmas experience. Thank you Judy and Joyce for giving your time and talent to the Christmas store every year.
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Toy Store Volunteers
The Ingles Toy Store is run strictly by volunteers from our community. Nancy McLean starts working in October to secure business partners who come in for shifts, as well as many individual volunteers. Nancy has been volunteering on Thursday Mornings at the front desk for many years and adds this to her volunteer duties for us during the Christmas season! It takes 400 volunteers working in the toy store over a 10 day period to help ensure the store runs smoothly and each child registered has Christmas gifts under the tree! Thank you Nancy for an outstanding job!
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Business Partners for Toy Store Volunteers
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Carol L. King and Associates, PA
RAI Trade Marketing
Home Trust Bank
Great Beginnings & Great Smiles Pediatric Dentistry
Kimmel & Associates
Asheville Hotel Group (2full days, 4 shifts)
Asheville Kiwanis / Key Clubs
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Beverly-Hanks North
Charlotte Street Computers
Great Clips
Home Carefree
Dorel Home
Sineath Construction
South College
Woodland Hills Baptist Church
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Special Thanks to all involved
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It is always amazing to see the generosity of the people in our community ! The Toy Store is the ultimate demonstration of Kindness in Action. There are hundreds of people that who remain nameless to us that donate and make the event possible. To you...please accept our thanks and know you have helped make a child's Christmas more joyful. To the army of people that work in the store before, during and after the holidays please accept our thanks for the outstanding job and commitment to the work of Eblen Charities and the families in our community.
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LIEAP program has officially begun
printable flyer provided below
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Program Updates
- The Crisis Intervention Program ( CIP ) has helped heat 1,149 homes since expanding in late October. We have spent $301,365.59 to date.
- LIEAP: 497 households…$158,500 spent to date.
- Saint Nicholas Project has registered about 3,500 children to date this season.
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We thank you so much for the wonderful feedback on our Newsletter reboot and please, don't hesitate to contact us as we'd love to hear your thoughts or suggestions.
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