Once again, this
past Christmas Eve day, the Newburgh Rowing Club and NFA Crew Team members
teamed up with Danielle Crinieri’s Families 4 Families to deliver presents to
adopted families in the City of Newburgh.
I do a lot of rewarding things in my life, and this is definitely one of
the most rewarding events of the year, and something I
look forward to all year.
Danielle started
this massive undertaking about a decade ago.
She started out with a handful of families, with my Sister and
Brother-in-law helping out with the purchasing and delivering. This year, Families 4 Families provided toys,
clothes, coats, home goods, gifts, food and a holiday dinner for over 137
families in the City of Newburgh. Social
workers identify deserving families, who make out a “wish list” and they are
anonymously “adopted” by individuals, schools, businesses and groups. For instance, Mrs. Lo adopted “Family no. 21”
a family with three[u1] kids. I got everything on their very simple Wish
List and then had fun getting them extra things I thought they could use and
enjoy. I made them homemade lasagna and
homemade chicken parm, and my kids went to their savings account and used it to
buy Target gift cards for the kids.
Many, many
individuals, businesses and families donate to make this happen, and it is all
overseen by Danielle, who also goes out and shops for the multitude of
families. Everything is “housed” at Bishop Dunn Memorial School, then comes the
wrapping, which is largely done by BDMS students and families, and former
students and families.
This year, on
delivery day, which is the morning of Christmas Eve, I dressed up as Mrs.
Santa, and retired City of Newburgh police officer and Newburgh Rowing dad, Jim
Cobey, dressed up as Santa Claus. I think
we had about 20 people from the Rowing Club, between rowers and parents, out
helping this year.
Last year, Coach
Kennedy dressed as Santa Claus and it was really a hit. The only problem was, being a phys ed teacher
and coach in Newburgh for 23 years, he knew students and former students
everywhere we went. He even ran into
students who were now grandparents. The
conversations went like this: “Ho, ho,
ho, Merry Christmas from Families 4 Families.”
The kids would look at him and say things like, “Hey, Santa, aren’t you
my gym teacher” or “Coach Kennedy, remember me, you were my football coach,
here meet my grandson.”
In the past when I
helped with deliveries, I would just hand the sack of presents, say “Merry
Christmas,” and be on my way. Then I
started the Student Ambassador Program and started driving around the City of
Newburgh and going into kids’ houses and it all started to click. I decided to
get out and meet and greet, speak to people in Spanish where called upon, and
make it a little bit more of a presentation.
Then Coach Kennedy got involved. People recognized him or his truck and would
run up to us in the streets and say, “Mr. Kennedy, I have nothing for the kids,
can you help us.” Coach told them sure,
I will be back at Lander Street at noon, meet me there. Last year, we went back and got the leftover
presents and, as promised, we drove to the middle of Lander Street at noon. A crowd was gathered. The presents were labeled by gender and
age. We stood in the back of the pickup
truck and were throwing presents to the kids.
Coach would identify a kid and their age and yell, “I need a boy
present, age 8”, we would find something and we would throw it down, assembly
line style until Santa Coach delivered the present. People were openly weeping, saying they had
nothing to give their kids and would not have had a Christmas had it not been
for the “Santa truck.” One woman told me
in Spanish that her husband had just died the week before and had expected
absolutely nothing. Her kids were grown
but we gave her all the “lady presents,” coat, perfume, scarf, we could
find. She was overcome with emotion and
gratitude and kept thanking me in Spanish.
Coach was unavailable
this year, so Mr. Cobey stepped in. One
of the first houses we went to, one of our rowers banged on the door. “No, no, that’s the Landlord Knock,” said
another rower. “Mommy, what’s a
Landlord?” said Michael, my 9-year-old.
Christian, my 13 yo, has been going around with me doing my various City
of Newburgh community projects for a good 3 years now. This was Michael’s first time doing the
Families 4 Families delivery run.
It’s very
important to walk the walk and not just talk the talk. When I say to my kids, “To whom much is
given, much is expected,” I really mean
it. It is now time for Michael to come
out of his bubble and see a little more of real life. He couldn’t understand the concept of an
apartment, he thought the entire building was the family’s house. When I explained that the apartment building
had several families living in it, he said, “Like when I get married and have
kids and we all come live with you and Daddy?”
Not exactly. We’re still working
on the concept, but we have time.
The kids this year just LOVED that Santa came
to their house with sacks full of presents and a turkey or ham. To see these little kids jumping up and down
and whispering in Santa’s ear was just priceless. I would pick up babies and they would hang on
to me play peek a boo with me. I packed
a big green sack full of bags of cookies so we would give them out to the kids,
and it was a real hit. “Ohhh, Mrs.
Santa, just one more bag of cookies,” the kids would say. I know all of our rowers were very much
touched by the whole thing.
Someone recently
tried to thank me for helping out with Families 4 Families, and I had to set
them straight. This organization is 90%
Danielle Crinieri and all the rest of us pick up the slack. Really, this one woman pretty much does it
all. She has no title, no staff, no
office, no Awards Ceremony; there is no TV crew following her around, although
there should be. She has touched so many
lives for so many years. I love that the
Newburgh Rowing Club can help her out a little bit.
And, as with all
my projects, it’s always my own kids, and our rowers, who end up being enriched
in the end. After opening presents at
three different houses, I found Michael sitting in the midst of all the
wrapping paper and toys, looking into the distance. I asked what he was thinking about. “I’m thinking about the kids at (ADDRESS IN
NEWBURGH) today, how they all sleep in one room. And I was thinking I have so many
presents. Maybe I could trade some of my
presents in for bunk beds for them.”
What a great thought, I told him, maybe next year.
As my
grandmother always said, someone is praying for the things you take for
granted. Remember to Count Your
Blessings, everyone, I can assure you that most of us are abundantly blessed. Have a wonderful Saturday! If you would like to adopt a family next
year, or would like more info about Families 4 Families, which delivers Easter
baskets in Newburgh and packs back to school Backpacks as well, please contact Danielle at Families 4 Families' facebook page:https://www.facebook.com/pages/Families-4-Families/260527340653989
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