Gifts of Goodwill
HARRISVILLE — With Christmas just three weeks away, the spirit of the season was in full swing Saturday inside the Harrisville Volunteer Fire Company hall, 313 E. Mercer St.
50 volunteers from Operation Foster Smiles wrapped gifts to be distributed to foster teenagers throughout the region.
What began as a four-person operation in 2016 has become an annual event looked forward to by people who like to donate their time.
“We want kids to know that there are people out there who care, and I get chills just thinking about it,” said Stephanie Campbell, a Grove City resident wrapping gifts for the fifth straight year. “We don’t know exactly who will be receiving these gifts, but they’re kids, and they are our future.”
Gifts baskets will be given to 20 boys and 20 girls ages 13 though 18 in an area spanning Allegheny County to Erie County. Some of the items wrapped include body wash, towels, toothpaste and tooth brushes, gloves, card games and board games.
All items are donated by members of Operation Foster Smiles, which numbers well over 300. Pastor Willard Morse, of Grove City, said a prayer to bless the gifts and the teenagers who will receive them.
“Our people donate money, their time or both,” said Michelle Marlowe, a resident of Boyers and founder of Operation Foster Smiles. “This started in our garage six years ago and at that time, it was just my husband, Don, myself and our two children that we adopted.
“It blew up so big that we moved it into the fire hall two years ago.”
Michelle and Don Marlowe went through the Mercer County Children’s Aid Society to adopt their son and daughter, who were elementary school-age at the time, in 2013 and 2014, respectively.
“We found out through that organization that they were short on state funding,” Michelle said. “There’s a lot of kids out there who have not been adopted and without what we do here, they wouldn’t receive anything for Christmas.
“Our motto is: ‘There’s no greater casualty than a child who has been forgotten.’”
Cyndie Mellott, of Harrisville, was urged to join Operation Foster Smiles by her friend, Mary Ann Hughes, who was dressed up Saturday as Rudolph to add to the holiday atmosphere.
“This is my second year helping out,” said Mellott. “It’s so much fun, and it’s for a good cause.”
Michelle Marlowe supplied the wrapping paper and provided a lunch buffet that volunteers enjoyed after the wrapping was complete. She sees Saturday’s gathering as an appropriate way to channel the love and goodwill that Christmas represents.
“Too many people get lost in the greed of the season,” she said. “This helps bring people back to the true meaning of the holiday.”
