SANTA'S HELPERS AVC SHARES LESSON IN HOLIDAY GIVING.Byline: Charles F. Bostwick Staff Writer LANCASTER - Sixty-two children from the Jackie Robinson Noun 1. Jackie Robinson - United States baseball player; first Black to play in the major leagues (1919-1972) Jack Roosevelt Robinson, Robinson Park After- School Program and 29 families from three different social service agencies received an early Christmas thanks to the staff at Antelope Valley College Antelope Valley College is a comprehensive community college located in Lancaster, California, USA. It is operated by the Antelope Valley Community College District, with a primary service area of 1,945 square miles covering portions of Los Angeles and Kern counties. . Families chosen through Kern Kern, river, 155 mi (249 km) long, rising in the S Sierra Nevada Mts., E Calif., and flowing south, then southwest to a reservoir in the extreme southern part of the San Joaquin valley. The river has Isabella Dam as its chief facility. County Human Services, Lancaster Community Shelter and Families Caring for Families, plus the after-school program children, received the gifts from 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 as two students played holiday songs on the guitar and piano. ``I think it turned out really nice,'' said switchboard operator Rosa Hernandez, who organized the gift drive. ``You just feel so satisfied when you do something like this.'' Hernandez began the program four years ago after seeing stores' ``Christmas wish trees,'' which bear the names of needy need·y adj. need·i·er, need·i·est 1. Being in need; impoverished. See Synonyms at poor. 2. Wanting or needing affection, attention, or reassurance, especially to an excessive degree. children for whom patrons can buy gifts. Hernandez called the Lancaster Community Shelter and got the names of several needy families. The first year she attached the names of families and children with their gift requests to candy candy: see confectionery. candy Sweet sugar- or chocolate-based confection. The Egyptians made candy from honey (combined with figs, dates, nuts, and spices), sugar being unknown. canes and delivered them to different departments around the college. The next year, and all the years following, she placed a large basket of the requests on her desk and e-mailed employees that they were available. This year the employees were so generous, Hernandez had to request the names of more families from the shelter. ``It's just wonderful to see their faces and they start smiling,'' Hernandez said of the children at the party. ``Just by listening to them, it's just wonderful. It's hard to believe that we have everything and then there's kids that don't ... why not bring them something to cheer them up?'' CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- color) Caroline Hicks Hicks , Edward 1780-1849. American painter of primitive works, notably The Peaceable Kingdom, of which nearly 100 versions exist. of the Jackie Robinson Park Preschool distributes holiday gifts as David Morales, 4, leaves with his present. (2) Sara Mendoza, 4, anxiously waits to open her holiday gifts. Antelope Valley College staffers and students helped bring the holidays to those in need. Jeff Goldwater/Staff Photographer |
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