The Helen Ross McNabb Center provides behavior healthcare to teens, children and their families in East Tennessee. This year, they’re aiming to help 25,000 individuals with holiday gifts and resources.
We purchased what we could off their wish list and arrived early in the morning (to avoid spoiling the surprise). As our team loaded toys into the center’s secret gift closet, we were told that most of the programs they have wouldn’t be in existence without the generosity of the surrounding community.
Still, it’s harder for this center because the children they serve are older. A lot of people bring in gifts, but they’re usually for toddlers. Everyone above the age of ten is forgotten; especially the boys.
We made quick work of the unloading and left just as quietly as we came. However, it would have been nice to stay. If only to see the excitement on the case managers’ faces as they opened the secret gift closet and saw a room full of the all too scarce, age appropriate toys.
