|
|
Chimes shopping tour a Christmas tradition
By: By CHRIS MENEES Messenger Staff Reporter
Union City J’Cettes member Karami Hagan of Martin helped a little girl find just the right hat Sunday afternoon as they shopped together during Chimes for Charity’s annual shopping tour.
|
|
We were as different as night and day.
She liked blue, while I preferred pink.
Her choice of pajamas leaned toward SpongeBob™, while mine was Barbie™.
She chose sturdy and functional boys’ athletic shoes as her footwear instead of the feminine pink snow boots that caught my eye.
But we had one thing in common — Chimes for Charity.
My new little friend, Kim, was one of about 150 less fortunate children from schools across Obion County and Union City who were treated to shopping sprees for warm winter clothing Sunday afternoon at Wal-Mart Supercenter, courtesy of Chimes for Charity.
Dozens of volunteers joined members of the Union City J’Cettes and Jaycees, who sponsor Chimes, to help each youngster shop for $120 worth of clothing that included items such as coats, hats and gloves, shirts or sweaters, jeans or slacks, dresses or skirts, pajamas, undergarments and shoes.
Like many of the children meeting their volunteer shoppers for the first time, Kim was a bit hesitant at first, but she quickly warmed up and in no time was busy flitting from rack to rack to consider her options.
The 9-year-old exhibited a mature and practical side beyond her years in telling me first thing that she needed a warm coat. She bypassed anything pink or remotely girlie and instead pointed to a blue quilted coat that she insisted she try on for size.
“This will be warm. I like it,” she said, her big brown eyes sparkling as she carefully placed the coat into the shopping cart.
She had told me she was a good shopper — and she proved it time and time again in using that same practical shopping sense as we moved on to search for pants and sweaters to meet her needs. Unlike some of the other young shoppers, she wasn’t interested in the latest fashion trends or anything too extravagant; instead, everything seemed to be carefully chosen with warmth and durability in mind.
As we chatted while shopping, I learned she’s the oldest of several children, which perhaps explained the maturity I sensed about her. She shared her Christmas wish list and she told me about her school and the boy she likes, talking like we were longtime pals instead of two strangers who’d met only a few minutes earlier.
She was receptive to my shopping input, but she didn’t hesitate to let her preferences be made known. In fact, it was usually written all over her little face with either a wrinkle of the nose for disapproval or a big grin of approval.
In the end, she had wisely chosen a cart filled with three pairs of dark denim jeans with belts (two of them gleaned from the sale racks), several long-sleeved thermal knit shirts in a range of colors (except pink, of course), a seven-pack of socks embroidered with the days of the week, assorted undergarments, a two-pack of knitted gloves and the aforementioned quilted coat, SpongeBob pajamas and practical tennis shoes.
“We can put something back if we need to,” she said as we headed toward the checkout.
“Let’s just wait and see,” I replied, knowing we were extremely close to our $120 limit and hoping we weren’t going to need to eliminate something from the cart.
We both smiled as the cash register flashed our total — $120.94.
I prepared to bid farewell at the register, but she stopped me short.
“You’re taking me to see Santa,” she said, leading the way toward the store’s garden center, where the jolly ol’ elf was waiting with a gift for each young shopper.
I listened as she quickly repeated her Christmas wish list to Santa and watched as he placed a Bratz™ doll in her hands. Her smile grew even bigger, revealing huge dimples above the corners of her mouth.
“Thank you,” the little girl said as she waved and turned to walked away.
No, Kim, thank you.
Editor’s note: Chimes for Charity funds its many projects to help less fortunate families at Christmas through generous donations from individuals, businesses, churches and various organizations throughout Obion County. Donations may be sent to Chimes for Charity, P.O. Box 661, Union City, TN 38281.
Staff Reporter Chris Menees may be contacted by e-mail at cmenees@ucmessenger.com.
Published in The Messenger on 11.19.07
 Print
Chimes for Charity, shopping tour
|
|
| Obits |
|
|
| Advertisments |
|
|
| RSS Support Feed |
|
|
|
