Daniel Island holiday do-gooders make season bright
Holiday charity is contagious and Daniel Island residents caught the giving spirit this year. Grassroots groups sprang up throughout the island community to help others during the holiday season.
After discovering several families in the community couldn’t afford to buy Christmas gifts, some Daniel Island moms came together on Facebook to “spread a little holiday magic.” In the past the group, known as “DI Community Holiday Giving,” has helped those in need have a brighter holiday and this year was no different.
From bikes to books, every request was fulfilled just in time for Christmas. Organizers said the donations “will be making a huge difference in the lives of some children.”
Daniel Island resident Jodie Umberger took the phrase “it’s better to give than receive” to heart this season. Umberger and a few friends decided to stop focusing on gifts for each other and instead use the money they would have spent and adopt a child for Christmas. She found a child in need on the ECCO (East Cooper Community Outreach) website.
As a former pediatric nurse, Umberger knows the importance of remembering children during the holidays.
“There’s nothing more heartwarming than watching a sick child wake up Christmas morning with the biggest smile opening presents,” she said.
“We realized that none of us really needs anything,” commented local real estate agent Paige Rhodes. “We agreed it would be a lot more gratifying to be able help a family in need, who might otherwise go without.”
Umberger was overwhelmed with the response to this year’s campaign.
“I received donations and was able to purchase everything this little boy wished for!” she said. “I started with a small group this year to see if they would be willing and they were. I plan to expand to others next year and make it even bigger.”
Another Daniel Island “do-gooder,” Diana Roller, wanted to make sure the troops were remembered during the season. She sent an email to her Daniel Island neighbors asking if they could bake a dozen cookies for U.S. troops stationed in Qatar. Almost immediately 30 dozen cookies showed up on her doorstep. With such a positive outcome Roller plans to send more cookies out in time for Valentine’s Day.
Even the young residents of Daniel Island felt the philanthropic spirit. Anna Wartinbee and her two sons, Daniel, 7, and John, 3, wanted to make a donation to Pet Helpers, a “no-kill” shelter based in Charleston. They decided to sell homemade dog treats and donate a dollar for every bag purchased. The young boys sold out in two days and proudly presented the shelter with $50.
Preparing the biscuits and selling them to their Daniel Island neighbors was an educational experience for Wartinbee’s boys.
“They are learning about working hard to help others,” said Wartinbee.
Daniel enjoyed cooking the dog biscuits with his family, but he said the most important part was “making sure the dogs and cats get to enjoy Christmas, too.”