Good Morning: I know that we are all wrapped up in the things that we
must do and the blessed CHRISTmas season but I wanted to post this just
in case anyone would be interested in helping out this organization.
They are looking for just about anything. If you would like the link to
see the news clip on it, please let me know. Here is what was said in
the article, I know that it is true because I know a family that has
foster children and they were contacted.Charity regroups after hundreds of Christmas gifts stolen from Lake church
Burglars take $20,000 worth of presents intended for foster childrenCLERMONT — For volunteers of Lake/Sumter Families, a charity
dedicated to helping foster and adopted children, Saturday was a day of
shock and frustration."There were a lot of tears shed," said president Stephen Wolgamott.That's
because after the group spent weeks collecting toys and gifts in the
hopes of brightening Christmas for Lake and Sumter children, thieves
have set the effort back nearly to square one.
The Lake County Sheriff's Office was called to Liberty Baptist Church early Saturday after an overnight break-in and burglary.Deputies
say burglars gained entry during the night by breaking a window of the
fellowship hall. Once inside, officials said, they stole roughly $20,000
in presents meant for children.
The gifts, which included children's bicycles, assorted
toys, gift cards and clothes, had been collected in a gift drive, the
result of weeks of work by Lake/Sumter Families.The charity had
put together individual wish lists for foster children — dubbed "angels"
— who were then assigned to individual donors. The donors went all-out,
Wolgamott said. "It was a no-holds-barred kind of giving," he said.
Liberty Baptist volunteered its fellowship hall as storage space.Only
about 10 to 15 percent of the gifts collected had already been
distributed to foster families, meaning the burglars made off with a
large majority of the charity's haul, Wolgamott said The theft
came just days before the charity's Christmas party — the last time the
group will see most of the foster families it serves before Christmas.
But
Lake/Sumter Families is determined to regroup. Wolgamott said three
donation events already have been scheduled for the next few days, and
the community is already responding. "We've already seen a lot of
support," Wolgamott said. One event will be held Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5
p.m. at the Citrus Tower in Clermont, and others are planned all day Monday at AAA American Storage in Groveland and at First Baptist Church in Leesburg.The
Lake/Sumter Families Christmas party is scheduled for Monday, and the
charity says a re-do of its personalized "angels" drive probably isn't
possible in two days. Instead, the charity is asking for donations
of cash or gift cards for major retailers, so that individual families
can go out and shop for gifts for their foster kids before the holiday. After
a day of tears and prayer, Wolgamott said he and other volunteers are
ready to move on, and to continue their work to make this Christmas
merry for foster kids and families. To the thieves who tried to
steal that Christmas, he said only that the volunteers of Lake/Sumter
Families forgive them for what they did, and hope they get the help they
need. Anyone with information about the crime is asked to call
the Lake County Sheriff's Office at The Lake County Sheriff's Office was called to Liberty Baptist Church early Saturday after an overnight break-in and burglary.
Deputies
say burglars gained entry during the night by breaking a window of the
fellowship hall. Once inside, officials said, they stole roughly $20,000
in presents meant for children.
Anyone with information about the crime is asked to call
the Lake County Sheriff's Office at 352-343-2100 or Crimeline at
1-800-423-8477.jeweiner@tribune.com or 407-420-5171
Thank
you in advance for your consideration. It is greatly appreciated.
Blessings,
Sherry
Choosing to Live By Faith!! Jeremiah 29:11
Never Let
Your Memories Be Greater Than Your Dreams
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
QUICK GUIDE TO CORRECT SUBJECT LINE FORMAT:
(Use ONLY one of these five)
OFFER: couch - location
TAKEN: couch - location (may include pending or PPU)
WANTED: garden hose
RECEIVED: garden hose
INFO: Used for tips
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