Susan English

The director of the regional Volunteers of America, Marilee Roloff, stood surrounded by children's books Saturday afternoon at the end of the first day of the Christmas Bureau. She looked tired but undaunted by the task of restacking the mountain of books that spilled off the table onto the concrete floor of the Ag Building at the fairgrounds. Nearly 1,400 parents and grandparents had selected new books for 2,800 children in about six hours Saturday, a small part of the contribution by Volunteers of America, or VOA, to the annual charity.

By all measures, opening day at the Christmas Bureau exceeded expectations of the charity's organizers. Volunteers gave food vouchers worth more than $43,000 to nearly 1,400 families. Thanks to the toys distributed on Saturday, more than 2,800 children will have a brighter Christmas.

With a goal of raising $485,000 by the end of December, the Christmas Fund depends on the generosity of thousands of donors. Every year the community responds with donations ranging from a few dollars to thousands of dollars, and all are welcome. But the heavy lifting is often done by generous businesses. One such longtime local donor to the Christmas Fund is Ken Roberts Investment Management Inc., which this year donated $15,000. "We have participated in the past as donors to the Christmas Fund and we appreciate the efforts you have made for our community. We are thankful for your efforts on behalf of those who need assistance, and we appreciate all the donors and volunteers of Spokane who work together to make our community a better place for all. Please accept the enclosed contribution with our good wishes," wrote Ken Roberts, Stacy Gourley, Lynn Fruin, Kathy Franklin, Sharon Roberts, Vinson Cai, Kevin Crawford, Deb Crawford, Heather Shea, Leslie Yates and Jeff Trudeau.

Volunteers in heavy coats and work gloves lined up drum sets in Row 1, the Noah's Ark Playsets in Row 2, and Monster Movers and Giant Loaders (with hard hats included) in Row 7. Thursday was setup day at the Christmas Bureau at the fairgrounds and temperatures in the Ag Building were frigid. The heat couldn't be turned on until the volunteers unloaded toys, tables, chairs, and computers and the trucks were driven out of the building.

Even during the dog days of August, Spokane retiree Carol Speltz was thinking about Christmas. Why? Because Speltz is the volunteer director of one of the largest Christmas charities in the country. Speltz is in charge of the Christmas Bureau, which distributes toys and grocery store vouchers to the poor, held this year from Dec. 8-21 at the Spokane County Fair and Expo Center. The charity serves about 31,000 people and requires the efforts of more than 200 volunteers.

Nearly 10,000 poor families will again get the gift of a Christmas celebration this year, if the Inland Northwest community is as generous as it has been in the past. The Spokesman-Review launches its annual Christmas Fund charity today, with a goal of raising $485,000 to pay for the fixings of a holiday dinner and new toys for the poor. Last year, the charity distributed food vouchers and toys to more than 31,000 people at the Christmas Bureau, which is the distribution process for the charity.