HANDS Christmas Dinner Raises $19,000 for Local Charities

Written By: Luke Osteen | Issue: Whats News

Front Row (L-R) Pat Hedden, Highlands Community Child Development Center; Kristy Brewer, Gordon Center; Marjorie Crowe, Gordon Center; Bonnie Potts, Literacy and Learning Center. Middle Row (L-R) Cathy Manning, Highlands Community Child Development Center; Dave O’Harra, Highlands Rotary Club; Donna Woods, HANDS Team. Back Row (L-R) Ricky Siegel, HANDS Team; Helene Siegel HANDS Team; Marty Rosenfield, HANDS Team, Bill Kirkman, Highlands Mountaintop Rotary. Not Pictured: Chris and Mark Flaschner

A jolly Highlands holiday tradition brightened Christmas for a dining room full of cheerful diners and secured a bright 2024 for a trio of children’s nonprofits.

Thanks to the efforts of a faithful team of volunteers (both in the kitchen and in Hudson House Dining Room at Highlands Country Club) Christmas Dinner was served to a crowd of generous celebrants. H.A.N.D.S. (Highlands Area Nonprofit Donation Sharing), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in partnership with The Rotary Club of Highlands and The Mountaintop Rotary, set records for meals served and dollars raised.

“We raised approximately $19,000 just in donations that were secured prior to the event, we had about $17K in dinner sales, wine and tips that was registered on the ‘square,’ and around $3,500 in cash and checks from raffle sales and tips for an income total of around $39,500,” says Ricky Siegel, a HANDS veteran from the start. “Our expenses ran around $3,500 which left us with $36,000 to distribute – which we did! In all, we delivered $12k each to The Literacy and Learning Center, The Highlands Community Child Development Center, and The Gordon Center.”

As with so many Plateau events, especially one freighted with so many successful years, this dinner had a lot moving parts that had to be coordinated.

“In late July, Stell Huie asked Marty Rosenfield if he might consider trying to resurrect the Christmas Dinner,” says Siegel. “Marty explained to Stell that some of the very important organizers of years past were no longer available to do it. There were holes to fill. But he would be willing to look at the possibilities.

Some of the folks who had served in the past, my wife Helene and myself, Mark and Chris Flaschner, Donna Woods, and some other volunteers were invited to a luncheon hosted by Stell to discuss the possibilities. Stell also invited the presidents of the two Rotary Clubs, thinking that they could bring volunteers. The luncheon went well and we started soliciting donors, volunteers, asking the Highlands Country Club if we might again use the club as a venue, and asking vendors for help in supplying food and product.

“By the time we did the dinner, we had around 25 volunteers. Mark Flaschner took on the task of booking the reservations, a monumental task in and of itself. With the help of Donna Woods who helped create the booking grid, he was able to take reservations and book the guests that we had chosen to limit to 250 people. We announced sales would begin on November 15 and sold the dinner out in four hours – a remarkable accomplishment!

Meanwhile, in the weeks and days leading up to Christmas, under Marty’s leadership, we cooked food and gathered product. We continued to gather gift certificates to raffle off and secure items needed to serve the dinner. Volunteers gathered on the afternoon of Christmas Eve for an orientation meeting to prepare and give the volunteers, some old timers, some rookies, information they would need to put the event in motion and ultimately pull it off.

In all, it was five months of the planning and execution of a great event, but we were all happy to make it possible – not only for our guests for Christmas Dinner, but for the three nonprofits that benefitted from the event.”

And about those nonprofits?

Like a sunny beacon of hope and learning, the Highlands Community Child Development Center has strengthened its mission to serve the littlest member of the community (and their families) with the addition of two new preschool rooms at The Episcopal Church of the Incarnation.

Generations of children whose parents work in Highlands (this writer’s son included) have relied upon the loving care and tender lessons offered at this quiet landmark, just one block off Main Street behind First Presbyterian Church of Highlands and now in the Church of the Incarnation on Main Street.

Director Pat Hedden and her staff ensure that these kids receive a safe place to play and rest and – this is important – are introduced to the fundamentals of reading, math, and computer skills. When the children graduate at age 5, they’re socialized and ready for school.

“We love what we do, and I think the children can feel that love,” says Miss Pat (you’d be hard-pressed to find any child or parent over the last 40 years who calls her Mrs. Hedden). “It really makes a difference when they know that they’re being cared for by people who love them.”

The Gordon Center for Children at Highlands United Methodist Church, Highlands’ only faith-based learning center.

If you’re the parent of a child up to five years old, you know it as a safe harbor for your young one, providing loving lessons in a safe environment.

It’s right there in their Mission Statement: “To promote the cognitive, physical, emotional, social and spiritual development of the children in a warm and safe environment.  We strive to equip young children with the necessary skills for academic success while encouraging a life-long love for learning.”

And the Literacy & Learning Center?

Executive Director Bonnie Potts explains it best: “The mission of The Literacy & Learning Center is to enrich lives and expand the knowledge of children, adults, and families through diverse educational programs that advance literacy in its many forms and to promote lifelong learning, which results in an informed and empowered community.”