Longtime Christmas Bureau leader works for literacy

Marilee Roloff knew a year ago that “Peanuts,” “Star Wars,” and princesses would reign for popular holiday children’s books, so she bought such titles early for the Christmas Bureau.

Buying books for kids is a role that Roloff, 64, relishes. So is distributing them; the CEO of Volunteers of America works each year at the bureau at the book table.

Rob McCann, Catholic Charities director, said Roloff does so because she long ago recognized the importance of boosting childhood literacy.

“Marilee’s work in the book line is her way, and I think one of the most successful ways, to stop intergenerational poverty,” McCann said. “To take the biggest bite out of that is to get kids to love reading, and Marilee realized that years ago.”

Roloff has announced her plans to retire next summer as VOA’s executive, after being at the helm since 1996 and working there 30 years. While the 2015 bureau will be her last as an executive, Roloff vows she’ll return each December as a volunteer.

“I’ll be buying books still,” Roloff said. “I’ll be at the bureau handing out books. That’s an absolute joy, and I look forward to it all year long.”

She also looks forward to how parents carefully select books. “So many parents are determined that their kids will be good readers, so they take it very seriously.”

VOA partners with Catholic Charities to operate the bureau at the Spokane County Fair and Expo Center. The event is open Dec. 10-19, except for Dec. 13, to provide toys, books, and $15 to $20 food vouchers to needy families.

Roloff has helped at the bureau since 1985, a year she still recalls as the first time seeing such a volume of people needing help. The quality of the toys impressed her.

The Christmas Bureau’s book distribution started around the mid-1990s, Roloff said, when publisher Scholastic offered thousands of free publications. The company later had to scale back but still offers good deals, she said.

For years, Fred Meyer has given a $25,000 annual sponsorship to buy bureau books. Roloff said roughly 15,000 books a year are purchased. She has focused on buying books for the very young, while another group buys for older kids.

Roloff was hired initially to launch the teen shelter Crosswalk. Today, the nonprofit offers many programs, including the women’s shelter Hope House, and Alexandria’s House, a home for pregnant and parenting teen girls.

Last year, the nonprofit served more than 2,600 people with emergency shelter and housing. A new focus supports foster teens, helping them transition out of that care, she said. “We just keep moving and adapting, but always with the most vulnerable in mind.”

Roloff said she’ll finish overseeing construction of a VOA downtown Spokane residential building along Second Avenue. It will provide 50 apartments for the chronically homeless and add to VOA’s 120 units at other scattered housing sites.

“The beauty of it is, the new building’s right next door to a similar building, also for the chronically homeless, being built by Catholic Charities,” Roloff said.

Roloff said VOA and Catholic Charities often work in tandem offering complementary programs.

McCann said Roloff always provides a great role model.

“With Marilee, what you see is one of the greatest examples of servant leadership for the poor anywhere in Spokane,” he said.

After retiring, Roloff plans time for her flower garden, projects for her South Hill home, and some travel.

“Volunteers of America has been here since 1896,” said Roloff, ending with her usual humor. “My friend Mary Ann Murphy says I don’t look a day over 80.”

She said the Christmas Bureau also is a decades-old example of the community’s generosity.

“It just shows that Spokane is a very caring place, and everyone identifies with a child opening a gift on Christmas morning,” she said.

Already this year, generous donors are responding. The donations include the following:

Murray Huppin, president of Huppin’s, and Mark Lax, president of Pawn 1, of Spokane, donated $20,000. Their letter said, “For so many in our community, last week’s unprecedented windstorm has compounded the struggle to make the holiday season bright. The fundraising need has truly intensified. Fortunately, we live in a place where neighbors reach out to take care of each other. The Spokesman-Review Christmas Fund makes it very easy to help. Please accept our check for $20,000 to help kick off the drive.”

Sons of Norway Tordenskjold Lodge 2-005 Ladies Auxiliary, of Spokane, gave $600. The group said the auxiliary disbanded but designated that a portion of its funds be disbursed over five years to the Christmas Bureau.

Ryan Baddeley gave $500 via PayPal.

Mike and Ione Howson donated $300 via PayPal.

William Pierce gave $250 via PayPal.

Frances Waddell, of Spokane, contributed $240, writing, “Keep up the good work. Happy Holidays to all.”

Russell and Kathy Mager, of Lewiston, donated $200.

Kurt Rexilius gave $150 via PayPal.

Gay B. Canning donated $125 via PayPal.

Lane Klees, of Spokane, gave $100.

Dr. and Mrs. Otto O. Stevens, of Spokane, gave $100.

Joseph M. Toombs Jr., of Spokane Valley, gave $100, “in remembrance of Lois Toombs.”

Scott Eymer, of Spokane, and Jill Eymer Greer, of Stanwood, Wash., donated $100, writing, “We are happy to contribute the enclosed donation to this year’s Christmas Fund in memory of our mother, Jackey Eymer, a long-term resident of Spokane who we lost at Christmas time 25 years ago. We honor our Mom who always loved this time of year and had such a giving spirit and a desire to help others.”

Richard Skelton gave $100 via PayPal.

Steve, Gail and Ben Quaid, of Colbert, gave $50.

J.L. Koons, of Spokane, donated $50.

Jennifer Stucker gave $50 via PayPal

Richard Mann contributed $25 via PayPal

Judith Horton, of Coeur d’Alene, gave $5.

Note: For donations made through PayPal, The Spokesman-Review contributed the PayPal processing fee.