Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, December 20, 1994                   TAG: 9412200074
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-2   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: MELISSA DEVAUGHN
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

IN THE VOLUNTEER SPIRIT

And the year before.

And the year before that.

A teacher or a parent of a child at any given county school - pick any one, they all called - wanted to let us know about the great job the kids were doing collecting canned food, coats or gift items to donate to the Montgomery County Christmas Store, where needy parents and children could "shop" for the items using a point system. Every school's efforts seemed worthy of a full-color photo spread with a long feature story.

Not only did the kids work hard, but the adults - 132 teachers and counselors, 21 central office employees and one School Board member - also donated time at the store.

"We were really pleased to have such a big turnout," said Debbie Stanley, one of the organizers of the Christmas Store. "On the first night the store opened, we called it 'School Night,' and gave teachers and administrators a chance to volunteer. In the past, we've had some teachers, but never as much as this year."

Stanley said that the response was so big, they had to split the assigned four-hour shifts into two-hour shifts to give each teacher and administrator a chance to take part.

School Board member Barry Worth volunteered his time on a rainy Saturday afternoon, helping customers shop and keeping track of their points.

"This was my first year volunteering and I was really impressed with it," said Worth who represents Riner and parts of Christiansburg. "The store was well organized and I felt really good about being able to give back to the community."

Worth described one woman he escorted through the store who was so thankful - "it didn't matter what she got, even if it was used, she was just getting something for her children."

As Worth left the store, he said he "thanked them for letting me come to be a part of it."

Here's what our county schools did to help out at the Montgomery County Christmas Store:

Kipps Elementary collected $884 through a read-athon, collected 99 cans of food, 108 used coats and 259 books for children.

Belview Elementary collected school supplies - pencils, notebooks and paper - and about 150 children's books.

Riner Elementary collected crayons and markers and donated money to the store.

Christiansburg Elementary collected used and new books, as well as 755 cans of food.

Christiansburg Primary School collected warm clothing, including boots, stockings, socks and slippers. They also collected household items and books.

Falling Branch Elementary collected mittens, gloves, hats and scarves, and used the items as decorations for a kid Christmas Tree.

Harding Avenue and Bethel elementary schools collected canned vegetables and fruit.

Gilbert Linkous Elementary collected hats, mittens, and books and donated a $130 check.

Shawsville Elementary had a canned and boxed food drive as well as a book drive.

Prices Fork Elementary collected mittens and gloves for infants and preschoolers. They also collected children's books.

Margaret Beeks Elementary donated food, mittens and hats.

Elliston-Lafayette Elementary students are donating food and gifts directly to several area families to make sure they have a merry Christmas.

Blacksburg Middle School brought in about 600 pairs of used and new blue jeans for the Christmas Store, along with about 700 sweaters, countless sweatshirts and socks. They also brought in school supplies.

Christiansburg Middle School collected coats and canned food.

Shawsville High and Middle's applied economics class collected loose change, netting $469.44. The Future Homemakers Club collected socks and the Future Business Leaders Club collected new and used toys.

Auburn High and Middle School collected canned food, coats, clothing and toys.

Blacksburg High School had a schoolwide clothing and toy drive.

From the little kindergartner who brought in canned goods for the food drive, to Superintendent Herman Bartlett who volunteered two days of his time, Montgomery County Schools deserve a round of applause. They've come through for those in need and have touched upon the true meaning of Christmas.