A Real Holiday Shopping Spree Children Collect Presents On Trip Through The Bon

For the first time in their lives, some Spokane kids were set loose in a department store and told to touch anything - and almost everything - they wanted.

Their eyes sparkled with awe as they jumped, giggled and hid Thursday under the racks at The Bon Marche.

Forty-two girls and boys, ranging from kindergartners to young teenagers, were selected by the Salvation Army for the downtown holiday fun. They rushed their way through a $100 Christmas shopping spree, gathering up sweaters, coats, socks, sport caps and more.

For eight years, The Bon has sponsored the event for low-income Spokane children.

This year, the Salvation Army chose mothers who are on welfare but also attending community colleges, trying to learn a skill that can land them a job and give them financial independence.

“These women are very special to us,” said Joy McManus, who helped organize the shopping spree. “They’re trying to get off welfare and get into the work force, and this is our way of rewarding them.”

It’s quite a reward for Debra Graham, who said she’s grateful knowing her three children, ages 5, 8 and 13, have new school clothes.

When Graham, a single parent, turned to the charity for help last summer, she relied on Aid to Families with Dependent Children.

Now, she’s managing the apartment complex where she lives. She’s also working hard to manage her family’s finances, but some overdue bills and unexpected repairs have left her with no money for Christmas.

“I wanted to buy presents for them,” she said of her kids. “But money just dwindled down.”

Every mother participating Thursday had similar stories to tell, McManus said.

For many of the children, the shopping spree yields their only Christmas presents.

Twenty volunteers and store employees escorted the children around racks of dress shirts, winter coats and fleece-footed pajamas. Though the children could pick out a hundred dollars’ worth of merchandise, the items had to be basic necessities, said Tom Best, The Bon’s regional operations manager.

One of Graham’s daughters, Dana, 8, kept her helper’s arms full with sweaters, pajamas and jeans.

“How about these?” Dana asked, rubbing her hands over a silky-blue floral mini-skirt.

“Those might be a little fancy to wear for school,” advised Molly Murphy, the helper. “How about these sweatsuits? Do you see one you like?” Toting a black velvet and pink satin dress over her shoulder, Hannah, 6, picked out an iridescent purple parka.

“It’s my fur coat,” she said, pointing to the faux fur-lined hood.

The little girl reached as high as she could to touch another velvety dress hanging on a wall. She begged her helper to add one more dressy dress to the “maybe pile.”

Five-year-old Justin, sporting a 101 Dalmatians shirt, didn’t have much to say as he waited in line to have his goodies rung up.

The blond boy held the hand of his adult assistant, David Robinson. The big man carried Justin’s Christmas presents - two pairs of stonewashed jeans, two turtlenecks and a pair of blue sweatpants “because he said he likes to play in the snow.”

Robinson, a first-time volunteer, said he heard about the program from a relative.

“I think we might be a little over our limit,” he told Justin. “But I’ll break out the Visa if we are.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo