[Posted by Fran Falchook, Vice President Sales & Marketing]
This holiday season Alacra decided
to participate in Operation Santa Claus, a program started in the 1920's by the
US Post Office in an effort to help needy children. Each year the Post Office
receives hundreds of thousands of letters addressed to Santa, from children who
reside in New York.
As I walked into the main post
office on 33rd Street, I was amazed at how well organized this
program is as well as the number of people occupying every seat in the room.
Bins were overflowing with letters with requests ranging from toys to warm
boots. My goal was to select a few children who we could bring some joy to, and
make a difference. Yet, I was not prepared for the emotional rollercoaster ride
I was about to endure. The first letter I picked up was from a sick 10 year-old
girl named Catherine. Her Mom had spent all her money on medicine, and had
nothing left for Christmas. I decided at this point Catherine would be my
personal project. With the help of my family, Catherine will have a new wardrobe as well as a few gifts for her Mom. As I was wiping my tears, a
clerk asked if my company would be interested in adopting a few classes. I
immediately devoured the pile of envelopes placed in front of me, paying careful
attention to the teacher's overview of the class. Most children come from a
single parent household; many have a parent in jail or drug
rehab.
On Monday the selected classes (Ms
Silver's & Ms Reich's class) were shared with the Alacra staff. Within 15
minutes, our employees were lined up by my desk to select a child. By the end
of the day, all the children had been selected and the remaining volunteers were
asked to purchase books, crayons, markers and assorted supplies. Ms Silver told
me most of these children do not have crayons or paper at home. Ms Reich shared
that her class devours books but do not own many. I went home last night with a
huge smile on my face, feeling very proud that our organization can help make a
difference. Next year I will be sure to expand our reach to 3 or 4
classes.
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