First State Bank of Purdy donates to
For The Kids
December 8, 2021
First State Bank of Purdy’s Board of Directors donated a check for $1,000 to For the Kids Friday, on behalf of bank employees who asked that the money be donated to the organization in lieu of the Christmas gifts they would have otherwise received.
Shown, left to right, are: Amanda Lee, Chief Operating Officer, First State Bank (FSB); Andy Goodson, Chief Lending Officer, FSB; Randy Henderson, President, FSB; Glen Garrett, Chairman of the Board; Virginia Gaston, President of For the Kids; Glen Garrett’s wife, Jeanne; Linda Swadley, Vice President of For the Kids; Lynette Bailey, Treasurer of For the Kids; Angi Vanderbol, loan processor, FSB; Christi Randles, head teller, FSB. Photo by Sheila Harris.
Shown, left to right, are: Amanda Lee, Chief Operating Officer, First State Bank (FSB); Andy Goodson, Chief Lending Officer, FSB; Randy Henderson, President, FSB; Glen Garrett, Chairman of the Board; Virginia Gaston, President of For the Kids; Glen Garrett’s wife, Jeanne; Linda Swadley, Vice President of For the Kids; Lynette Bailey, Treasurer of For the Kids; Angi Vanderbol, loan processor, FSB; Christi Randles, head teller, FSB. Photo by Sheila Harris.
This year, First State Bank’s Board of Directors has chosen to donate a Christmas gift to For the Kids, a non-profit organization based in Aurora that serves area children. Representatives of the bank donated a check for $1,000 to For the Kids on Friday.
For the Kids provides clothing and other essential personal items to foster and adopted children, or those who are placed with relatives. President Virginia Gaston said many times children arrive at foster homes with only the clothes they are wearing and are in need of all the basics.
"Those kids have nothing, no coat, no clothing, nothing," Gaston explained.
For the past 25 years, Gaston and the group of ladies who operate For the Kids have worked to fill that void for children and foster parents, alike.
"We provide a new pillow, a blanket, socks, underwear, hygiene items and whatever else children are in need of," she said.
For the Kids recently moved into a new location, a building they purchased at 508 Oak Street, in Aurora, which provides more room for the organization of clothing and personal items than the spaces they had occupied previously.
In addition to providing clothing for children, For the Kids operates an "Angel Tree Project," which begins in early October. Children are allowed to write down three wish-list items on a paper angel, in hopes they will be fulfilled.
"This year," Virginia Gaston said, "we have 400 children who have each given us three items they'd like for Christmas. That's up from 100 children in years past."
That number represents a lot of Christmas shopping.
"So far, we've fulfilled about half of the 1,200 items kids have asked for," Gaston said, who receives shopping help from For the Kids vice president, Linda Swadley; Treasurer, Lynette Bailey; and board member, Jill Siver.
Shopping is only part of the challenge, though, since shopping requires money.
"We don't make a dime off this project," Gaston said. "We can only do it because of the donations we receive."
Gaston said many churches and businesses in the area help out by donating to the project every year. Individuals are welcome to donate, too.
"Donors can either provide toys or other items on the kids' wish lists, or donate money and let us do the shopping," she said. "Not all kids want toys. Once, we had a child ask for chicken feed for their chicken, another asked for a pet turtle.”
For more information, please visit their Facebook page, “For the Kids Foster/Adoptive Parents Assoc.,” or contact Virginia Gaston at 417-229-2415.
In addition to donating their own Christmas gifts, employees at First State Bank of Purdy are also each donating a toy to the For the Kids Angel Tree Project.
"Our retired vice president, Ron Smith, got us involved in supporting For the Kids years ago," said Amanda Lee. "He retired seven years ago, but we like the project and what the organization is doing.
Ron Smith passed away earlier this year, but his legacy continues at First State Bank with its support of For the Kids.
For the Kids provides clothing and other essential personal items to foster and adopted children, or those who are placed with relatives. President Virginia Gaston said many times children arrive at foster homes with only the clothes they are wearing and are in need of all the basics.
"Those kids have nothing, no coat, no clothing, nothing," Gaston explained.
For the past 25 years, Gaston and the group of ladies who operate For the Kids have worked to fill that void for children and foster parents, alike.
"We provide a new pillow, a blanket, socks, underwear, hygiene items and whatever else children are in need of," she said.
For the Kids recently moved into a new location, a building they purchased at 508 Oak Street, in Aurora, which provides more room for the organization of clothing and personal items than the spaces they had occupied previously.
In addition to providing clothing for children, For the Kids operates an "Angel Tree Project," which begins in early October. Children are allowed to write down three wish-list items on a paper angel, in hopes they will be fulfilled.
"This year," Virginia Gaston said, "we have 400 children who have each given us three items they'd like for Christmas. That's up from 100 children in years past."
That number represents a lot of Christmas shopping.
"So far, we've fulfilled about half of the 1,200 items kids have asked for," Gaston said, who receives shopping help from For the Kids vice president, Linda Swadley; Treasurer, Lynette Bailey; and board member, Jill Siver.
Shopping is only part of the challenge, though, since shopping requires money.
"We don't make a dime off this project," Gaston said. "We can only do it because of the donations we receive."
Gaston said many churches and businesses in the area help out by donating to the project every year. Individuals are welcome to donate, too.
"Donors can either provide toys or other items on the kids' wish lists, or donate money and let us do the shopping," she said. "Not all kids want toys. Once, we had a child ask for chicken feed for their chicken, another asked for a pet turtle.”
For more information, please visit their Facebook page, “For the Kids Foster/Adoptive Parents Assoc.,” or contact Virginia Gaston at 417-229-2415.
In addition to donating their own Christmas gifts, employees at First State Bank of Purdy are also each donating a toy to the For the Kids Angel Tree Project.
"Our retired vice president, Ron Smith, got us involved in supporting For the Kids years ago," said Amanda Lee. "He retired seven years ago, but we like the project and what the organization is doing.
Ron Smith passed away earlier this year, but his legacy continues at First State Bank with its support of For the Kids.
