Store providing Christmas wishes

Published 7:45 am Friday, November 25, 2011

A Fultondale business is helping fulfill Christmas wishes for a group of men and women in need.

Planet Cellular AT&T is heading up a holiday gift project for the Arc of Jefferson County, an organization that works with individuals with intellectual disabilities in Jefferson and Blount counties.

Becky Parsons, a sales consultant with the store, is organizing the project. Parsons has worked with Arc for three years; previously through a different company. This is her first year to do the project through AT&T.

A Christmas tree at the store holds the wish lists of 50 Arc clients, who request items such as coloring books and crayons, CDs, stuffed animals, picture books, battery-operated toothbrushes and other basic items.

“In Fultondale, we’ve had a good year. To keep it, we need to give back to the community,” said Parsons.

Michelle Creamer, assistant director of development for Arc of Jefferson County, said Arc consumers are often ignored.

“They’re a segment of the population that’s sometimes overlooked,” she said, adding that if it were not for civic organizations and businesses, many of the clients would not receive Christmas gifts.

“A lot of the people we serve don’t have any contact with their family or they don’t have any family,” Creamer said.

Arc served 260 adults in its residential services program last year.

Parsons said she has a favorite Arc client, whose name is Eddie.

“I can give him a coloring book and crayons and he’s happy for two hours,” Parsons said. “I like giving back to the community. They (Arc clients) seem to be more appreciative because it’s the little things that matter to them.”

Planet Cellular AT&T stores in Sylacauga and at Doug Baker Boulevard in Hoover are also participating; there are 40 wish lists on Christmas trees at each of those stores.

“We appreciate businesses like that so much,” Creamer said. “It gives people an opportunity to enjoy Christmas. We try to help the consumers we serve become as independent as they can and to get social integration. Things like this really mean the world to them.”

The gifts are due back at the AT&T store by Dec. 20. The store will host a Christmas party for the clients, complete with Santa Claus.

The Planet Cellular AT&T store in Fultondale is located at 1710 Decatur Highway.

For more information on the project, call Parsons at 365-1194.