Carmel Gets Into the Christmas Spirit

Joe Lazzara of Joe's Butcher Shop & Fish Market gives back every holiday season.

Surely, Scrooge is nowhere to be found in the vicinity of Carmel and Geist this year. After receiving a number of responses to my request about how people give back at Christmas on atCarmel.net, I was overwhelmed by the goodwill that so many of you can’t wait to extend to others this Christmas. From adopting families to baking and putting on benefit concerts, even our furry friends have not been forgotten as it seems giving is only limited by our imaginations. Let’s have a look at what’s on your agenda this holiday season.

Adopting Families

Many of you wrote to tell of how you adopt families at Christmas. Janet Striebel, Stacey Torres and Rick Lindsey have all been involved with adopting another family at Christmas and buying gifts for each member. Janet says her family looks forward to this every year. “ This has been a tradition and still remains as one of the warmest moments of our season,” she says. For those of you interested in doing this, the following places will get you started.

United Way of Central Indiana has an adopt-a-family program. Check their Web site for more information at www.uwci.org.

Angel Tree is a ministry of Prison Fellowship, which delivers gifts to prisoners’ children at Christmas. For more information, see their website at www.angeltree.org.

Look to your own church or school. Many have similar programs at Christmas.

Acts of Kindness

Rather than working with an organization, many of you keep your eyes open for people in your everyday lives to help. Tammy Smith picks a family or a person, stranger or relative, to do something nice for at Christmas. Her past good works have included taking a single mother out for dinner and buying her an outfit to giving monetary help to families in need during the holiday season. This year she wants to include her nieces and nephews in the mix to let them see that Christmas is not only about receiving, but giving as well. “I would like to take them with me this year,” she said.

Katherine Haidar has a similar take on things. She and her family invite friends and strangers without nearby family into their home for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner. “They come over and spend the holidays with us so that they won’t be alone. We basically adopt them into our family for the holidays,” she said.

Rick Lindsey has used something near and dear to his heart,music,to help others during the holiday season. “I have put together and produced benefit concerts” he said.

Andy Murphy gives back by helping her family focus on the gift of life at Christmas. “It [life] is indeed a present that can’t be bought. So on Christmas morning, we take a moment out to remember all our family members who are no longer present. I see their faces and hear their laughter. Just saying their names and recalling a story or two about them brings a peace that is stored in times gone by,” she said.

Changed Circumstances But Still Giving

In our present economy, some of you have fallen on tough times this year. Stacey Torres has found herself in this category, but is still determined to give to others. “This year is different for me,” she says. “Newly divorced, not working in many months and caregiver to my mother, at first I thought, ‘What could I possibly give to anyone that would be of value?’ But I’ve decided to adopt a senior in my area and take baked goods to the various Head Starts.” By not focusing on her circumstances, but instead on what she can do, Stacey is embodying the Christmas spirit.

Local Businesses

It’s not just families who are giving back this Christmas. Local businesses are also extending a helping hand. Here’s what a few of them are dreaming up for the holidays.

MyCarDoc.com

John Cannon of MyCarDoc has a passion to help children. He hosts a Toys for Tots drive and gives discounts to customers who are willing to donate a toy. He wants to develop this passion into something more permanent. “I’m trying to start a charity group that does something similar, but gets toys together for children in foster homes, orphanages and hospitals during the holidays,” he said.

Joe’s Butcher Shop & Fish Market

Joe Lazzara of Joe’s Butcher Shop in Carmel supports many organizations over the holidays. Joe, in conjunction with the Indianapolis Colts’ charities and customer donations, has donated over 1500 pounds of turkey to needy families. Two of his favorite organizations that receive many of the turkeys are Little Sisters of the Poor and Second Helpings. He also provides gift certificates for silent auction Christmas fundraisers and is active with Project Lifesaver of Hamilton County, spearheaded by ADDBAC (Arts & Design District Business Association of Carmel).

Simply Sweet Shoppe and Second Story PlayHouse

Owners Lynn Wiegand, Bernie Szuhaj, and Jill Zaniker are involved in almost as many charitable events as they have candy in the store.

Owners Jill Zaniker, Bernie Szuhaj and Lynn Wiegand are involved in almost as many charitable events as they have candy in the store. As leaders of ADDBAC, these three have modeled and embraced the “Adding Back to the Community Together” motto of ADDBAC. Last year in their first year of business, they gave over $6,000 in donations. Most of their charitable giving is focused on children.

In conjunction with Carmel High School, they are donating to the Carmel Cares: Project Uganda to raise money to build a school in Uganda. Simply Sweet also holds Support Your School days in which they donate back to the school a percentage of all purchases made that day. They participate in numerous other activities from silent auctions to gift baskets and a charity-of-the-month program. If you’re in the store, look for the boot by the cash register and throw in any extra change you have for their current project. In December all the change will go to Riley Hospital for Children. “We are trying to support the kids’ fundraising so they can give back as well. I just think there’s nothing better than empowering kids to learn that lesson early,” said Lynn Wiegand.

Healthy Hounds

Even our furry friends are not forgotten at Christmas. Tom Kortie hosts fund-raising dog wash-a-thons every December at his Healthy Hounds store in Geist. This year he is expanding to two events (with the first before Thanksgiving) to benefit the Greyhound Pets of America and the Lucky Lab Rescue & Adoption. Volunteers will wash dogs and trim nails, and all profits will go to the rescue groups.

As the countdown to Christmas begins, let’s resolve this year to ditch any Ebenezer Scrooge attitudes and take our cue from our central Indiana friends, neighbors and businesses. As we reflect on the greatest “give back” of all … a babe in the manger … let us give out of our abundant blessings to others in return.