Getting ready for Christmas

Nikki and I hosted the Santa's Secret Shop for the Downieville students to buy gifts for their family and friends at lunch today. The Children's Center did the same program last year, but we aren't maing as much money from it this year. People around here just don't seem to have as much to spend this holiday season. I bought all of the "My Little Ponies" left over and a few other toys to take to the Toy Drive that ECV Chapter 1849 is hosting at The Connection (a bar in the Mission District of San Francisco) tomorrow.

I don't usually go much further than Sierra County with my involvement in charities. In the eighteen years I have been here, I have volunteered on average 5-10 hours a week, and since I have been teaching, I probably spend between $20 and $50 a month on local fundraisers. I pay attention to bigger concerns out in the rest of the world and rely on the Internet for the news, but my time and money is pretty much used up by the time I am done supporting my local community each month. It is particularly tough to watch as this region falls onto increasingly harder economic times. Even though the main parking lot in Downieville is packed each summer day, now it is virtually empty. Tourism is NOT sustainable!