ADOPTED FAMILIES GET CHRISTMAS WISHES.Byline: Andrea Andrea ghost returns to the Spanish court to learn of the events that followed his death. [Br. Drama: The Spanish Tragedy in Magill II, 990] See : Ghost Cavanaugh Staff Writer Lourdes Lourdes (l  rd), town (1990 pop. 16,581), Hautes-Pyrénées dept., SW France, at the foot of the Pyrénées. Chavez has never experienced a lavish Christmas Christmas [Christ's Mass], in the Christian calendar, feast of the nativity of Jesus, celebrated in Roman Catholic and Protestant Churches on Dec. 25. In liturgical importance it ranks after Easter, Pentecost, and Epiphany (Jan. 6). celebration, coming from an impoverished im·pov·er·ished adj. 1. Reduced to poverty; poverty-stricken. See Synonyms at poor. 2. Deprived of natural richness or strength; limited or depleted: background and struggling with her husband to provide food and shelter - not toys and gifts - for her four children. So Chavez was overwhelmed o·ver·whelm tr.v. o·ver·whelmed, o·ver·whelm·ing, o·ver·whelms 1. To surge over and submerge; engulf: waves overwhelming the rocky shoreline. 2. a. Thursday when she was given a sackful Sack´ful n. 1. As much as a sack will hold. a. 1. Bent on plunder. Noun 1. sackful - the quantity contained in a sack sack containerful - the quantity that a container will hold of presents as her children sat on Santa's lap, then made their way to a table laden with holiday treats. ``I never had anything like this when I was a child, and my children have never had anything like this,'' Chavez said through a Spanish Spanish, river, c.150 mi (240 km) long, issuing from Spanish Lake, S Ont., Canada, NW of Sudbury, and flowing generally S through Biskotasi and Agnew lakes to Lake Huron opposite Manitoulin island. There are several hydroelectric stations on the river. translator. ``They've never had their picture taken with Santa Claus Santa Claus: see Nicholas, Saint. Santa Claus jolly, gift-giving figure who visits children on Christmas Eve. [Christian Tradition: NCE, 1937] See : Christmas Santa Claus .'' The party was brought to more than 60 families by the Adopt-a-Family program, sponsored by the Valley Economic Development Center in Pacoima. Parents preselected for the program from the organization's job-training program filled out wish lists for their children in advance, ensuring that kids received gifts that they really needed or wanted. ``Some kids ask for GameBoys. Some kids ask for clothes and shoes,'' said Jenni Kwon, the organization's director of economic development. ``We have a lot of families in need. We want to make sure they have a happy holiday.'' The goal of the Valley Economic Development Center is to help all of the parents find living-wage jobs, Kwon said. ``That way they can provide for their families all year round,'' she said. The event's corporate sponsor has decided to shift its funding to other programs, so the organization is seeking another donor The party conferring a power. One who makes a gift. One who creates a trust. donor n. a person or entity making a gift or donation. DONOR. He who makes a gift. (q.v.) to help them host the $15,000 event next year, Kwon said. Without the gifts they received, Christmas may have seemed like any other day to Alicia Reyes' three boys, ages 6-11. ``I don't have money for a tree, for presents,'' she said. ``Now my kids will have presents on Christmas Day.'' Maria Perez, 29, watched as her two children visited Santa Claus. Ricardo, 7, climbed eagerly into his lap, but 3-year-old Selma cried and fretted as her mother ushered her near Santa's chair. A few minutes later, Selma was all smiles, clutching a wrapped package and a lollipop. Perez recently completed training as a medical assistant and is looking forward to a more prosperous future for her family. ``I've never received anything like this before,'' Perez said. ``I'm pretty excited, and so are my kids.'' For more information about the Valley Economic Development Center's Adopt-a-Family program or job placement services, log on to their Web site at www.vedc.org. Andrea Cavanaugh, (818)713-3669 andrea.cavanaugh(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Lino Heras sits on Santa's lap after he and his sisters Yareli, left, and Monica received presents at the Valley Economic Development Center's Adopt a Family Christmas event Thursday at the Pacoima Community Center. Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer |
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