Church sponsors Santa’s Workshop

By Elise Franco

Beatitude House residents are grateful for the generosity of the Warren community.

This year, 13 families at The Beatitude House in Warren will get a little more — thanks to those who give.

For two hours Thursday, about 20 children who live at The Beatitude House on Tod Avenue in Warren were able to choose a Christmas gift for their moms, brothers and sisters during Santa’s Workshop, said housing director Sheila Triplett.

The families participating are a part of the organization’s transitional housing program for women and children who are “bound in the cycle of poverty and homelessness,” according to the organization’s Web site.

Triplett said the Santa’s Workshop is something Christ Episcopal Church on Atlantic Avenue in Warren does for Beatitude residents each year.

“They get volunteers from the church, and they donate all the gifts,” she said. “It gives the moms and kids a chance to do something for each other.”

Triplett said the children come in and chose a gift for their moms, such as a toiletry, picture frame or winter apparel. They are also able to pick out a gift for siblings.

“The little kids love going in and saying, ‘My mom would really like that,’” she said.

“Also this year we got enough donations to let the moms shop for their moms.”

The Rev. Donna Maree said this is the eighth year the church has volunteered its time for this program.

“We have a congregation ... They all really want to help make that fantasy of Christmas real,” she said.

The Youngstown branch of The Beatitude House will have its Santa’s Workshop from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. today at its headquarters, 1515 Fifth Ave. Triplett said Youngstown’s program is larger than Warren’s, and donations are taken from the entire community.

Andrea Hameed, 25, who lives at The Beatitude House in Warren with her 1-year-old son Denali, said the Santa’s Workshop made it possible for her to get a gift for her mom and her sister.

“A lot of the girls aren’t able to buy gifts for their family members,” she said. “For them to donate is a good thing.”

Another woman who is grateful for the program is Dawn Tilton, 38, a mother of four.

Tilton said she came to The Beatitude House in June and was overwhelmed when she saw everything the church parishioners had donated.

“I cried today when I was getting my presents,” she said. “It’s a blessing because I wouldn’t have been able to buy gifts for my mother and brother.”

Tilton said her children, ages 16, 13, 7 and 5, also had a good time.

“My teenagers liked the idea, but it was the little ones who were really excited,” she said.

Tilton, who is taking classes to earn her General Equivalency Diploma, said the Santa’s Workshop is just one example of what the community and Beatitude House do to help women who are in need.

“At the end of my two years here I’ll be on my own, I’ll be an educated woman, and my children will see that,” she said. “You can choose the type of life you want to have.”

Triplett said these programs most benefit women such as Tilton and Hameed. She said everyone was equally excited to find the perfect gift for their loved ones.

“Everyone has been buzzing around here all day,” Triplett said. “Even the moms are like little kids because this is such a wonderful event.”

But the church’s generosity doesn’t end when the wrapping paper is packed up and people head home.

“We leave the extra gifts here so that they can give them away through-out the year for the children’s birthdays,” said the Rev. Maree.

efranco@vindy.com