Paying It Forward!

Making Christmas a Little Brighter
Written by April Scheinoha
Saturday, December 24, 2005 Edition of The Northern Watch Newspaper

Members of the Lincoln High School Student Senate donated and wrapped Christmas gifts Tuesday for Christmas for Pennington County, an annual program that provides gifts to less fortunate kids in the county. This year, 345 kids received gifts through the program, which is sponsored by the Pennington County Sheriff’s Department. The gifts were wrapped in the basement of the Pennington County Law Enforcement Center in Thief River Falls.

Mikayla Adolphson, 9, made sure there was enough tape on packages before they were wrapped Monday for Christmas for Pennington County. The annual program provides Christmas gifts to less fortunate kids who might not otherwise receive them. This year, 345 kids received gifts through the program. Adolphson joined Thief River Falls Women of Today members, including her mom, Julie, and other volunteers in wrapping the gifts in the basement of the Pennington County Law Enforcement Center in Thief River Falls. Volunteers donate gifts, money and wrapping paper to the program as well. The program is sponsored by the Pennington County Sheriff’s Department.



Thief River Falls residents Aaron (left) and Daniel Hustad made Christmas a little brighter for less fortunate kids Monday. Aaron, 8, and Daniel, 6, donated the contents of their piggy bank – $30 – to Christmas for Pennington County. The annual countywide program provides Christmas gifts to less fortunate kids. The brothers plan to give to the program every year.

Armed with money from their piggy bank late Monday afternoon, Aaron and Daniel Hustad walked into the Pennington County Law Enforcement Center (LEC) in Thief River Falls. For most kids, money practically burns holes in their pockets before it is spent on toys or other items. In the boys’ case, the money was being spent on something else – Christmas gifts for less fortunate kids.

“We’re going to do it every year,” said 6-year-old Daniel, a Thief River Falls resident.

Daniel and his 8-year-old brother Aaron donated a total of $30 to Christmas for Pennington County (CPC), an annual countywide program that distributes Christmas gifts to children who might not otherwise receive them. Through the program, ornaments are placed on angel trees at several Thief River Falls businesses. This year, 345 kids received gifts. Their Christmas was made brighter with donations from people like Aaron and Daniel, who were among many who donated money, gifts, wrapping paper and/or time to CPC.

The boys had seen a CPC tree at Kmart, and their dad, Jim, recently read about the program in The Times.

“I just asked the boys if that was something they’d be interested in contributing to,” Jim said.

Once they heard about the program, the boys were ready to help. It was a moment for them to “pay it forward,” meaning Jim and the boys did a good deed for someone else because someone did a good deed for them. For Christmas this year, the family received an anonymous donation from someone at Trinity Lutheran Church in Thief River Falls.

“It was quite shocking to me actually. I wasn’t expecting anything this year, and I don’t have any family in the area,” said Jim, who grew up in this area. Along with his sons, he moved to Thief River Falls from Seattle in January.

In their effort to “pay it forward,” the boys allowed their dad to empty their piggy bank. They usually save the money they get from their dad as well as the money they’ve found, Jim said. Sometimes they use their money on toys, Daniel said. Or at a water park, Aaron said. Based on their ages and the denominations of the bills in the piggy bank, Aaron donated $20 to CPC and Daniel donated $10.

They may not be earning allowances yet, but this wasn’t Aaron and Daniel’s first venture into charity work. With their cousins, they operated a lemonade stand in Seattle to raise money for tsunami victims.

Their tradition of giving continues with their donations to CPC. Their donations surprised Wendy Mattson, who coordinates the program for the Pennington County Sheriff’s Department. “All the years, I’ve never had anything like that happen,” said Wendy, who has been coordinating the program for more than 15 years.

When Wendy heard about the donation, she was organizing and wrapping some of the Christmas gifts in the LEC basement or, as Wendy calls it, Santa’s workshop. Deciding she had to meet the kids, she went upstairs to personally thank them. Wendy and co-worker Maria Srnsky, both teary-eyed, accepted the donations from the boys. Then Wendy and Maria took the boys, with their father in tow, downstairs to see how the money would be used.

The Challenger Elementary School students and their dad were surprised by the number of toys for kids served by the program. “I think it was cool,” said Daniel, who noted he saw “a thousand toys” in the LEC basement.

“I was surprised,” said Jim. “That was incredible.”

And many people would probably say that Aaron and Daniel’s actions were incredible.