December 6, 2004

Firefighters warm up as Christmas Angels

       White River Township firefighters are serving as Santa's helpers, collecting donations of toys and clothes, wrapping the presents and dropping them off at needy children's homes for Christmas.  The department has been a sponsor for United Way of Johnson County Christmas Angels since 2000. Firefighters put presents under more than 125 children's Christmas trees last year and expect the need to be about the same this year, Lt. Jim Engmark said.

         Christmas Angels matches children with local sponsors who can provide them with gifts. The United Way provides the fire department with the names of White River Township children in need, along with their age, clothing size and Christmas wish list.  Firefighters, their families and members of the ladies auxiliary will accept donations at the Greenwood Meijer store, 150 S. Marlin Drive, until Sunday and plan to deliver the presents a week later.

         White River Township Fire Department Lt. Don Young is heading up the toy drive by organizing children's names and recruiting firefighters to collect donations.  Tables are set up at Meijer's two main entrances. Patrons can select an index card listing what each child wants for Christmas. The gifts can then be dropped off to firefighters sitting at either table.  Meijer gave the fire department $100 to go toward purchasing any remaining presents that store patrons don't pick up and to offset the costs of wrapping paper and tape. Wal-Mart, at 7425 U.S. 31 South in Indianapolis, donated an additional $500 to help with this year's effort, Engmark said.  Once the donations have been collected, assembly lines of fire department administrators, firefighters and their families will spend hours wrapping gifts in the training room and a few offices at the department's headquarters.  Firefighters from White River Township's three stations will don Santa hats and board their fire trucks to make the deliveries Dec. 18.  (Reprinted with permission from the Daily Journal)
 

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