Hundreds of presents flow into Turner Hall

By Teresa Schmitt of the Daily Times staff
Friday, December 3, 2004 12:44 PM CST

Beckie Behrens of Milwaukee swings Abby Dunne, 5, of Milwaukee, around the dance floor near the Christmas tree overflowing with presents while the band Barbeez performed at the Gifts for Watertown Kids event at Turner Hall Thursday night. Behrens and Dunne came to the event with the band. (Teresa Schmitt/Daily Times)

Residents of the Watertown area came bearing gifts and danced their hearts away into late Thursday night at Turner Hall for the seventh annual Gifts for Watertown Kids.

Many area businesses and organizations helped to organize and donate to the benefit that is held each year to give needy children in the Watertown area presents for the holidays. Last year the event raised $7,000, and this year Liz Bergmann, member of the organizing committee, said their goal was to raise $10,000.

As people arrived at Turner Hall and set their unwrapped gifts under the giant Christmas tree, they were greeted by life-sized paper decorations of gingerbread men, Christmas trees, elves and nutcrackers surrounding the walls of the dance floor.

The students at Webster Elementary School were the creators of the decorations for the event and have been making them each year.

"We all love helping," Diane Benner, Webster principal, said. "Because it's for other children, the children can relate to the cause and find it even more personal."

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As well as decorating the hall, Webster School delivered about $500 worth of presents to give to the benefit.

Throughout the night a raffle drawing was held to help raise money and tickets were sold for $1 each or an arms length of tickets for $20 with the prizes being many large gift baskets.

Committee member Judi Knope said there were many more donations from area businesses and organizations to the raffle gifts this year compared to last year. Some of the items in the gift baskets included a rocking chair with a pillow and certificates for a free oil change, golf for four players, three games of bowling, one large pizza of choice and a free movie rental and many more.

"It's fun, it's for our town, the benefits stay in our town and 100 percent goes to the kids in Watertown," Knope said. "The raffle seemed to go just as well as last year and we had many more clubs and organizations donating."

New this year at the event was the ongoing musical styles of The Danny Miller Band, The Barbeez and the Van Eskes, taking the stage one after the other.

"We're really pleased to have three bands this year," Bergmann said. "I think everyone has really enjoyed the variety in music."

Before the event many organizations and businesses helped to collect toys. During this year's Christmas Parade of Lights, Performance Realty collected toys and other toys were dropped off at Ace Hardware, Curves, Riverside Creations, Town and Country Bank and all throughout the city.

The hundreds of gifts that were given will be distributed by Watertown Family Aid throughout Watertown area schools to children who are needy.

Early this morning Dorothy Rabenhorst, case worker for Watertown Family Aid, awaited the drop-off of the hundreds of presents that were donated. Rabenhorst and many volunteers will begin sorting, wrapping and labeling the gifts.

Rabenhorst said earlier in the year she sends forms to Watertown area schools to give to qualifying children who will take home the form and fill out how many people are in their family, their ages and size. Rabenhorst and her many volunteers then receive the forms and try to match the presents with the children.

"It's such a rewarding experience to go to drop off the presents at the doors and see the children's faces," she said. "Some of them were probably not going to have presents or celebrate Christmas this year, but with the help of this benefit they were going to have Christmas after all."

Rabenhorst said they usually give each child one or two toys depending upon the price of the toy and also one stuffed animal and a family game.

"With the present I like to give a card encouraging the family to spend time together playing a game," Rabenhorst said.

This is Rabenhorst's fourth year as head of the distribution and she said many times they are delivering now until Christmas.

"Often we'll still be delivering Christmas morning," she said. "If we have trouble reaching the family by phone we just keep trying and eventually we'll get there."

As gift-givers danced the night away many left with a feeling of happiness for the holiday season.

"I wish this had been going on for 113 years before now," Tom Hahn of Chickens Unlimited said. "It's hard to find a nicer group of people who contribute to such a wonderful benefit for the children of Watertown."

Those who weren't able to attend the event Thursday night still have a chance to donate to the benefit. George Webb Restaurant will raise funds on Saturday from 6 a.m. to Sunday at 6 a.m. when employees will be donating 100 percent of their tips to the Watertown Kids program.

For more information about the Gifts for Watertown Kids program, call Liz Bergmann at 261-6699.