Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, December 11, 1994 TAG: 9412120017
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: KENNETH SINGLETARY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG LENGTH: Medium
Shanna Letner has a challenge for the New River Valley's Good Samaritans: See if you can help more needy families this Christmas than she can.
Before you accept her challenge, you should know the truth about Letner. She's boundless in her compassion and unrestrained in her energy and humor. She's the kind of person disadvantaged families need in their corner.
Still, there are so many needy families in the New River Valley, Letner can use all the help she can get in aiding them. "There's lots of them, hon," she says in a way that defines "friendly."
Letner's efforts and the program she's beginning are unique because they provide area benefactors the chance to get to know the families they "adopt" for the Christmas season, asking what they need and providing them with toys, food and clothes. Other programs, like the Angel Tree or the Christmas Store, give donors the opportunity to become involved, but sometimes it's in a distanced and anonymous way.
Letner's way is "more personal. It makes you want to do more," said Julie Dillon. She and her co-workers at Corning have adopted five area families with Letner's help.
Dillon said it's gratifying to talk to the families and find out such details as what size clothes the kids wear or what their favorite toys are. It means their efforts can be more on target and have a bigger impact.
"It's terrible to know that there are kids out there who don't get anything [at Christmas]," Dillon said.
Also spurring Dillon is Letner herself.
"She wants to challenge everybody to see if they can do more than her."
Letner, who is 29 and the mother of three kids, began to help needy families last year. She just took it upon herself to collect presents from her co-workers at the Cracker Barrel restaurant and distribute them to people she heard about who otherwise would not be able to provide holiday cheer and gifts for their family.
"Last year's Christmas was one of the best I've had just knowing there were 57 kids who were going to wake up and have a Christmas."
This year she's expanded her efforts, calling it "Restaurant and Retail Reachout." She has placed posters in the windows of area businesses
Workers at Applebee's restaurant, where Letner now works, Corning and Virginia Tech have adopted families.
On top of that, Letner is providing a Christmas party for Head Start children in Floyd County.
"It gives you such a lift. There have been times when my kids got one or two things for Christmas. I felt bad."
"She's actually doing more for us than we had asked, so I really appreciate that," said Kamala Fenn, a family service worker at the Head Start program.
Letner finds out about the families she helps through the Voluntary Action Center.
"I think Shanna is a pretty amazing person. She's very enthusiastic, very hard-working. It seems what she's doing comes very natural to her," said Marcy Schnitzer, director of the center.
She said Letner may be tapping into a bountiful gift-giving resource by approaching local businesses.
Such corporate volunteer programs are "something we'd like to get more involved in and help promote. We see a lot of potential for that in this area," Schnitzer said.
For more information, call the Voluntary Action Center at 552-4909.
by CNB