2020 has been a tough year for many in our community because of covid-19. The Shippensburg Area Athletic Association understood these difficulties and wanted to make sure kids in our community would wake up Christmas morning to presents under their Christmas tree. We were able to provide gifts to every kid that request a gift thanks to generous donations from others in the Shippensburg Community.
This is our second year of giving gifts in memory of Jean Clugh. Jean was a long time member of Shippensburg Area Athletic Association and ran the concession stand for us. She loved the Shippensburg community and was very active in it. Besides our board she was also a member of the Friends of Memorial Park Pools, Kids Event Committee, and the Shippensburg Fair Committee. Jean loved kids and especially enjoyed watching them play sports. Many people in the Shippensburg community knew Jean and her dedication to the community that when the Athletic Association posted the gift request form to our Facebook page donations started to roll in immediately. We raised an additional $500 thru monetary donations and also had several families donate needed gifts. The SAAA had 4 families request gifts, which meant 8 kids had presents under the tree Christmas morning. The SAAA encouraged the gifts to be sports related or outdoor activities. Getting kids outside and activity has always been a priority of the Athletic Association. This year's gifts included baseball, football, basketball, soccer, hunting, and fishing equipment. We also provided bikes, art supplies, and clothing for kids.
The SAAA would like to send a special thank you out to the following people and families: Joe Mullen family, Jeremy Gilbert family, Lauren M Brundzo and kids, Jake Stine, Bob and Jeanna Rohr, Robyn Wolfe, Dee Murphy Goodhart, John and Debra Shrader Knutelsky, Nancy Shrader, Steph Eberly, Gerilee Burgard Davis, and Souders Bat Company for either their monetary or gift donations. Your generosity is greatly appreciated!
Shippensburg Area Athletic Association plans on giving sports and outdoor activity gifts again next year, so keep an eye out for gift request forms as we get close to Christmas 2021. If interested in making monetary or gift donations please contact Todd Martin at martin.todd10@yahoo.com. Once again, thank you to everyone that shared their generosity this Christmas season!