Recovery Center Residents Give Their Gifts To Family With 10 Kids

Santa Claus came in an unexpected way for a needy family this year, thanks to the Deer Park Rotary Club and Cenikor. The Rotarians regularly give back to the community in a variety of ways, and this holiday season is no different.

Recently a member of the Deer Park Volunteer Fire Department spoke at a Rotary meeting about their "Gifts at Christmas" program and said they had several families who required assistance during the holidays. The Rotarians offered to help and were put in touch with a family with 10 kids ranging in age from 18 months to 14 years who really needed outside help in order to celebrate Christmas. Then Rotary spread the message asking for partners, and the response was surprising and swift. Cenikor's Deer Park Vice President Jerry Hall attends local Rotary Club meetings and heard the plea.

Cenikor is a long term residential therapeutic community providing substance abuse recovery services in Deer Park since 1994. When offered the opportunity to consider helping a family in need, the Cenikor facility's staff wanted to participate and give financially, and quickly came up with $200.00. Word then got out to the residents in the treatment facility and they wanted to get involved too. First they did a couple car washes and raised over $400.00. Then their hearts opened wider.

Every resident was to receive a $15.00 gift card from Cenikor and 52 people decided to turn their "Secret Santa" card over to the chosen family. That brought the total donations up to $1491.58, and a presentation was made on Monday night at Cenikor to the Rotary Club.

The gesture of people recovering from addiction deciding to give their gift to others in need was so moving that Rotary President Ryan Taylor and the 60 members of the Deer Park club decided to adopt the men and women of Cenikor who had so generously donated their own Christmas gift cards. They wanted to show that "there is a return in this life for giving." Immediately club members stepped up and collectively chose to give the 52 residents a holiday gift card for $25.00 each, and even more donations continued to come in.

The Rotarians have now pledged to give back an additional $1000.00 to the Cenikor facility, which beautifully demonstrates the ideals of Rotary International, a worldwide organization that provides humanitarian service and helps build goodwill and peace in the world. Cenikor, who will be marking their 40th anniversary in 2007, is pleased to share in that endeavor and partner with such an outstanding organization. Best of all, a family in need got to celebrate Christmas.