DTOC Making Christmas A Little Brighter For Meridian Youth

On Tuesday, December 8th, 2015, The Downtown Optimist Club had a busy day helping local organizations make Christmas a little brighter for children this year. It started at 9:00am with the DTOC annual effort to ring bells for the Salvation Army. Stationed at the main entrance of the Walmart on Hwy 19 North, DTOC members took turns each hour encouraging shoppers to put donations in the kettle. From 9:00am to 7:00pm, members took time to visit with each other and with shoppers all the while ringing those bells to remind everyone that Christmas is the time for Giving.

Speaking of giving, at the DTOC weekly noon meeting, a large crowd of members and guests gathered to participate in another annual DTOC tradition! Each year, the DTOC makes donations to local organizations who are trying to help make sure that Santa Claus can visit as many children as possible. This year, The DTOC made donations totaling $5,000 to the following organizations: Cans For Kids, Christmas With A Cop, Salvation Army, Chunky River Harley Davidson HOG Toy Ride, and Little Men.

Additionally, The DTOC was proud to include Deb Mom Terri Carlisle as the representative of the Debs. The DTOC has a close relationship with the Debs and this group of very community minded girls assist the DTOC each year in lots of ways, but one of the most important ways is at Christmas time. This year two of the organizations receiving donations, Salvation Army & the HOG Toy Ride prefer their donations be in the form of toys. The DTOC provides funding to the Debs who then go and try to purchase as many toys as possible and then distribute those toys to the respective organizations. This is a great opportunity for the Debs to give their time and to learn how to maximize their purchasing power all for the good of the youth of our community.

Each of the following representatives came and gave a short presentation about their group and their efforts in our community during Christmas: