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The spirit of Christmas giving
By San Diego U-T Editorial Board
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Brightly decorated Christmas trees, delicious homemade cookies,
parties and presents areall part of the holiday season, but the
true meaning of Christmas is evident throughout SanDiego in the
many acts of giving and sharing with those in need.
Whether it!s volunteering and donating to the local Food Bank or
Toys for Tots or contributing
time and money to the countless churches and charities that
serve our neighbors andcommunities, San Diegans know and live the
spirit of Christmas.
Most know the prominent names in local philanthropy such as
Irwin Jacobs, Conrad Prebys,the Price family and Malin Burnham, but
San Diego is lucky to also have a lot of regularpeople who may not
have millions but also contribute in meaningful ways. They are the
highschool and college students who hold food drives or spend hours
doing community service.They are the retired seniors who find ways
to give back through volunteer work. They are theworking people who
might have to tighten their belts in these tough economic times but
stillcontribute needed dollars to help others.
Most do their good deeds with little fanfare despite the big
impact they have on others.
A few we know of include:
Margie Kuntz of Carlsbad and several Union-Tribune readers made
donations to allowGrant School eighth-grader Maria Caldera to
attend an East Coast field trip with herclassmates. A story about
San Diego schools!plan to cancel field trips for some middleschools
because not all students could afford to attend included a quote
from Maria, whosaid she didn!t want her classmates to miss the
excursion just because she and othersweren!t able to afford the
trip. Readers responded by making donations to the schoolprogram
and to help fund Maria!s trip.
Students at Soille San Diego Hebrew Day School raised money to
buy Hanukkah gifts for10 less-fortunate families.
Pam Plavan of Pauma Valley got a buzz cut on a bet that resulted
in a $5,000 donation tothe Escondido Humane Society. Her friend
Andy Mathews bet her she wouldn !t get a buzzcut like his and when
the stakes reached $2,500, she got her locks cut to one-quarter
inch.Her friends contributed more money to get the donation to
$5,000.
Lindsey Bittman and fellow college students helped refurbish the
home of a wounded
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veteran. They did landscaping and other work alongside
professional contractors as part of aproject coordinated by
Embrace, a San Diego nonprofit organization. Embrace founder
SeanSheppard has previously arranged for students from San Diego
State!s Jewish StudentUnion and its Muslim Student Association to
serve meals to the homeless.
As we toss out the wrapping paper and packaging from our
presents, we should rememberthat the spirit of giving is never out
of season.
Copyright 2012 The San Diego Union-Tribune, LLC. An MLIM LLC
Company. All rightsreserved.
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