Smithfield Club Brings Christmas Joy to Area Children
by Karen Foster

Many hours of hard work by members of the Kiwanis Club of Smithfield resulted in an incredible effort to serve the children of their community by providing them with toys and books for Christmas. Gloria Seitz, the chair of this year's Annual Toy Store, and her committee made every effort to personalize the toy store so each child received the things they really wanted. The committee mailed letters to parents at the beginning of October seeking input on the specific desires of each child. In November, two big shopping days were held where club members descended upon the Target store in Chesapeake, VA and bought up all the toys they could find. Cart after cart rolled through the checkout stands as very helpful and generous Target employees attempted to control the chaos. On December 2nd and 3rd, parents were invited to the Smithfield Center to pick up the toys for their children. The parents could then decide how best to give the toys to the children. All in all, the club served over 350 children in Isle of Wight County, Virginia by providing them with the same holiday excitement that we all associate with the season. For more information or to view more pictures from the project, visit the Kiwanis Club of Smithfield's website at SmithfieldKiwanis.org. Pictured: Club members Sherry Vincent, Amy Musik, Debbie Stohlman, Sharon Joyce and Connie Chapman take a break from purchasing hundreds of toys for this year's Annual Toy Store Project.