Reviving the spirit of giving
Story by Carol Pappas
Photos submitted
L ooking back at the genesis of what happens in July at Logan Martin’s Pier 59, it could easily be seen as the tipping point – that moment when an idea catches fire and spreads.
The spark in this case is Janet Swann, who was moved to do what she could to provide Christmas for children with special needs. The ensuing flame came from an army of volunteers and supporters who have since provided Christmas to 350 students at Alabama School for the Blind, Helen Keller School of Alabama and Alabama School for the Deaf. And it’s still spreading.
“There should be no child without Christmas,” Swann said of the motivation that seems to grow stronger every year.
It all began 12 years ago when Swann, who had been collecting toys for Christmas for children at Coosa Valley Academy, where her grandson attended, determined there was a real need at Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind. So, she set the wheels in motion with an event called Christmas in July.
From her vantage point on the lake, she reasoned that more people flock in that direction during the summer, and a July effort would appeal to a larger audience.
She was right. That first summer raised $1,200, selling barbecue plates, holding a poker run and recruiting four sponsors. In 2019, the effort emanating from that small restaurant produced $40,000 to provide a brighter Christmas for children across Alabama.
Even in the year of a pandemic, they raised thousands from an online silent auction that lasted the whole month of July. “In a pandemic, it speaks to the hard work of everyone,” said Marquitta Riggins, assistant director of Development for AIDB.
Tim Chiasson, who has been working with the effort since the early days, recalled the low expectations the group had for the pandemic year. But, like a tradition that can’t help but carry on, “generosity showed up,” he said.
A core group of volunteers gets started in January and by the time of the event on July 24 this year, there will likely be 45 to 50. “Volunteers,” Swann said, “that’s how we make Santa Claus happen.”
A small band of planners, who gathered around a table in the restaurant in May, discussed the event’s history, but more important, its future.
Partnering with AIDB and its development resources has made all the difference. This year, they’re even giving away a Harley Davidson motorcycle in the Christmas in July drawing. They stressed that all proceeds generated – from food sales to the poker run to t-shirt sales to cornhole and weightlifting competitions to a live auction – go to the kids.
Volunteers and donations – they are the engine that makes Christmas in July run. Without them, none of it is possible, Swann and Chiasson agreed. They pointed out that even the grand prize from the giveaway – the Harley Davidson motorcycle – was a donation.
The children themselves, as well as Industries for
the Blind, are involved as well. Artwork, crafts and woodworking they create are on sale throughout the event. “It has brought our entire AIDB family together,” Riggins said.
In its 12-year history, “This event has brought in nearly a quarter million dollars,” she noted. When talk turns to partnerships, Riggins is reminded of AIDB’s belief that the possibilities for deaf and blind students knows no bounds. “Together, we are limitless. When these children wake up on Christmas Day, they have a feeling that they are loved, and they have hope. That’s what this group brings to our children.”
Motioning around the table to the volunteers eager to make 2021 bigger and better than ever before, Riggins said, “This is their event. They make it possible.”
