At Project Santa Claus, an elf can learn a lot

MEMO

To: S. Claus

From: S. Gardner

Re: Homeland security

About half a mile off Highway 395 toward the Pine Nut Mountains south of Gardnerville, I investigated an unauthorized short cut to the North Pole.

At 9 a.m. Monday, some 60 people were waiting in the mud and rain at the Douglas County Fairgrounds pavilion to help wrap, sort and stack Christmas presents for needy families adopted by Project Santa Claus.

There were no reindeer, Santa, these elves arrived in Suburbans, pickup trucks, SUVs and Ford Tempos. No pointy ears or funny suits, either, they wore Douglas High School athletic jackets, jogging suits, flannel shirts, blue jeans, sweaters. I did see a few sets of suspenders, but I understand that's normal in this community.

Disguised as a reporter and volunteer, I fit right in.

Director Marilyn Malkmus was nearly beside herself at the turnout. But on a day like this, two Marilyn Malkmuses would be good.

"We've never had that many people here before to help," she said, as she looked around the pavilion piled high with presents, warm winter clothing, 1,000 new books, cartons of bicycles to be assembled and flats of canned food ready to be distributed in food baskets.

But after 10 years working with the program, Santa, the little things still catch her eye.

She points out the homemade gift bags created by students at Pau-Wa-Lu Middle School and the felt stockings the kids made at Carson Valley Middle School and stuffed with Teddy bears.

There was a giant stuffed camel that's going to a special needs child, boxes of new jackets someone donated from Land's End and dozens of bicycle helmets to be handed out with the more than 200 bikes which are brand new or were refurbished in a joint project with the Kiwanis Club and the young inmates at China Spring Youth Camp.

What makes Project Santa Claus work is that there is a job for anyone who wants to help, even a fumble fingers like myself who wrapped paperback books on Monday afternoon.

"You should really come back Wednesday when everything is here," said volunteer Rosemarie Middendorf, who's also been with Project Santa for 10 years. So, I went back Wednesday and almost everything was finished. As of 1:30 p.m., volunteers had collected gifts for 405 families and 981 kids.

"That's 200 children more than we have ever had," Malkmus said, adding that 61 names were turned in Thursday and Friday last week, well after the deadline. But armed with sizes and gift requests, the Project Santa Claus shopping squad hit the stores beginning at 7:30 a.m. Monday to pick up last-minute items with money that is donated to the organization.

About 2:30 p.m. on Monday, children from Trinity Lutheran Church preschool dropped off their gifts. Five little carolers serenaded the volunteers, belting out "Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer," "Jingle Bells" and "We Wish You A Merry Christmas." Their high-pitched voices bounced off the walls of the cavernous pavilion. Volunteers stopped taping and wrapping for a few moments to applaud and sing along.

All day long, people stopped by to spend an hour or two helping.

Deanna Abbott arranged for the donation of more than 1,000 books, at least one for each child. Last year, Abbott hand wrote about 800 gift tags, This year, Santa, she has a computer and a printer.

"It's been very interesting," Malkmus said. "After Sept. 11, I was wondering what would happen this year. People have given so much nationally, I worried that they might not have anything left. But this community has just been overwhelming. I just wish that people who are depressed or have a negative attitude could follow me around for one day. That's all it would take so they could see the best in everyone like I do."

Volunteers have collected coats, hats, shoes and other warm clothing which has been cleaned and mended by more helpers. Families are allowed to pick out clothes for adults and children.

Little things happen, the roof leaks at the fairgrounds, so there was giant wastebasket in the middle of the floor to catch Monday's rain, but there were no drips. Sometimes, a tag will fall off a package and a mad search follows to figure out who the present is for.

But nothing seems to get Malkmus down, not the leaky roof or the last-minute rush of families to register their children. Wearing a Snoopy Christmas sweatshirt and a "Jesus is the Reason for the Season button," she has all the bases covered.

"I am a very organized person," she said. "We have been given so many wonderful things. We never run out."

The gifts are bagged up today and the presents and the food baskets -- organized by the Carson Valley Community Food Closet -- are distributed on Friday.

"The people who are on the receiving end are so overwhelmed that people they don't even know will do this for their children," she said.

"It's really a miracle," she said. "Everybody who bought a gift or donated a coat counts as a volunteer in my eyes. "

The upshot of all this, Mr. C., is that the volunteers of Project Santa have given you the gift of time. Have another cookie.

Sheila Gardner is the night desk editor of the Nevada Appeal.