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With 600 letters in already, and 100 letters without sponsors, the agency is hoping the community will step forward to give a Christmas to children that CYS works with, many of whom come from families with drug and alcohol addictions or mental health issues.

"I am very sad because my brother (has) been in the hospital three times, and I would be really happy if you could (sprinkle) some of your Christmas magic on him to make (him) all better," wrote one 10-year-old girl to Santa. "P.S. I love Disney princesses."

Children and Youth Services has been running the Adopt-An-Angel program for more than two decades. Children up to age 18 write letters and CYS finds sponsors among businesses and individuals.

Last year, 758 children wrote letters to Santa. Based on how many letters have been received already, the county expects more than 1,000 will be received by Christmas, said Lisa Sohara, a CYS supervisor.

"Some of the kids are in foster care, but most are with family in homes," she said. "For some of these kids, these are the only presents they will have."

CYS provided the Times-Tribune with a sample of letters, which range from requests for uniforms, notebooks, pens and pencils for school, to video games and bicycles. Popular items so far this year are MP3 players and cell phones.

Sponsors aren't expected to dole out hundreds of dollars for video game consoles and shouldn't get upset if a child asks for something that might be expensive, said CYS outreach coordinator Gabrielle Palmieri.

"They ask Santa for what your child would ask for. They don't expect to get everything, but they're kids. It's easy to imagine a cell phone or game system," Ms. Sohara said.

One 11-year-old boy asked for a "PSP," a handheld video game console, but added "I would love anything you bring for me and my sister. Thank you. I will leave milk and cookies for you."

A 16-year-old girl asked for a CD player and "word-find books for my grandma."

"Plus, I would like you to say a prayer for my grandpa in heaven," she added.

The Scranton firefighters union, the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 60, decided to sponsor 75 children this year, said firefighter Brian Murray, the program's coordinator for the union.

After reading the letters, the union has already decided to sponsor another 15 children, he said.

"The common thought is we're firefighters, we can take anything. But for a couple of our guys, reading these letters, they not so much cried but these letters certainly brought down their shield a bit," Mr. Murray said. "These kids are asking for hats, scarves, coats -- things we take for granted -- and we're going to do what we can to help them."

Contact the writer: cschillinger@timesshamrock.com You can be Santa

Children and Youth Services is looking for individuals, businesses and organizations to sponsor children through its Adopt-An-Angel program. To help, call CYS outreach coordinator Gabrielle Palmieri at 963-6781.

Credit: The Times-Tribune, Scranton, Pa.

Two octogenarians -- Sammie Coats, 88, and Dorothy Compton, 83 -- have logged more than 8,000 volunteer hours together for the organization.

They are such a force that it probably feels as if they work eight days a week.

"They work five to seven days a week every single week, and they are the heart and soul of our organization," said Teresa Jackson, Sharing Life's executive director.

The two volunteers do everything from accepting donations to stuffing bags and helping people with their clothing choices.

Sharing Life Community Outreach -- one of this year's Dallas Morning News Charities -- offers an array of assistance, including food, clothing, school supplies, rent and utility assistance, literacy classes and job training skills to families in need in 11 ZIP codes in southeast Dallas County.

"They are always there; they are the most dependable backbone volunteers that I have," Jackson said. "They have given their lives over to volunteerism rather than just sit at home and wither away in their retirement years."

Jackson added: "We could not survive if we didn't have those two ladies."

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Oriental Trading Company gift cards are easy to give and fun to receive. They can be ordered and redeemed online, by phone, fax or mail and be used to purchase from an assortment of over 35,000 products, perfect for individuals, teachers, schools, churches, businesses and non-profit organizations. Oriental Trading Company gift cards are a creative, affordable solution for any occasion. About Oriental Trading Company Oriental Trading Company is the nation's largest direct merchant of value-priced party supplies, arts and crafts, toys and novelties, and a leading provider of school supplies and affordable home decor and giftware. Recognized as one of the Top 50 Catalog Companies, Oriental Trading Company employs approximately 3,000 employees and offers more than 35,000 products to individuals, teachers, schools, churches, businesses and not-for-profit organizations. From pink flamingos, party supplies and grass skirts to holiday decorations, scrapbooking supplies, and crafts, Oriental Trading Company makes the world more fun! www.orientaltrading.com.

Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6103795&lang=en

Keywords: Arts And Crafts, Children, Consumer, Discount and Variety, Family, Home Goods , Leisure, Men, Online Retail, Oriental Trading Company, Retail, Specialty, Women.

This article was prepared by Leisure & Travel Week editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2009, Leisure & Travel Week via VerticalNews.com.

Brown Mackie is seeking to lease space for the program, to include office space, classrooms and lab space, in an office building in front of the Reserves at Prairie Glen Apartments, 2515 S. Ohio, across from Jerry Ivey Park.

Planning commissioners approved a zoning amendment expanding permitted uses of the office complex to include business schools and small animal clinics.

Salina city commissioners also must approve the amendment.

The request was made by Salina Building Co., which bought the 12,000-square-foot office building from the original apartment complex developers, Overland Ventures, of Overland Park.

City planners were concerned about parking at the complex. Mike Bostater, president of Salina Building Co., said there is an agreement with First Southern Baptist Church, 2401 S. Ohio, to use 45 parking spaces in its lot for the clinic's students. The office complex has 46 spaces.

"That takes us to a little more than eight parking places per 1,000 square feet. That's an incredibly high number for most uses," Bostater said.

By separating the parking, any traffic bottlenecks when students are arriving or departing classes should be minimized, he said.

Commissioners voted unanimously in favor of the zoning amendment, agreeing to waive a condition that shared off-site parking be located within a distance of 600 feet from the office suite. The distance from the office suite to the church parking lot is about 900 feet, but there is sidewalk access, said Dean Andrew, the city's director of planning.

Salina Building Co.'s zoning application will be considered Dec. 7 by city commissioners, he said.

Also Tuesday, the planning commission voted to recommend to the city commission an amendment to regulations that would add building supply stores and lumberyards, business schools, department and discount stores, and food stores and delicatessens to the list of permitted conditional uses in the South Ninth Street retail corridor.

The amendment was requested by landowner Norm Riffel concerning property that was formerly part of a ramp area between Interstate Highway 135 and South Ninth Street. The property was abandoned in the mid-1990s after the opening of the Schilling Road interchange. The change was requested to help prepare for future development of the property, Andrew told commissioners.

Wireless towers approved

Planning commissioners Tuesday also approved applications on behalf of Verizon Wireless for the construction of two cellular communication towers through leases with the Salina School District. One 130-foot tower, with stadium lights mounted on it, would replace an existing 90-foot light pole at the southwest corner of Salina Stadium, near Salina Central High School.

The other 120-foot-foot tower would be constructed 450 feet west of Salina South High School, 730 E. Magnolia. The tower could serve as a light pole as part of a future field-lighting project. The recommendations from the planning commissioners concerning the towers will be presented to city commissioners for consideration.

There was some discussion by commissioners about the threat of the towers attracting lightning. Glenn Skulborstad, a retired South High teacher and coach, raised questions about the locations putting students in jeopardy.

"What's the almighty dollar worth?" Skulborstad asked commissioners. "You can't buy a child's life."

Trevor Wood, representing Selective Site Consultants, an agent for Verizon, said the towers are fully grounded so that were a bolt of lightning to strike, the energy would be directed into the ground. He said schools in other locations in the Midwest and across the country have similar cell tower lease agreements.

Road closure approved

Commissioners Tuesday also gave approval to a petition filed by landowner Roberta Kaufman to close a portion of Cypress Street from Willow Drive to Commanche Avenue. Cypress Street is a block south of West Crawford Street, adjacent to Centennial Park. The recommendation from the planning commission now goes to the city commission.

The purpose of the request is for Kaufman to acquire land to expand the commercial lots she owns along Crawford Street to allow for future redevelopment. In return, Kaufman is proposing to pay for the design and construction of an extension of Birch Drive to Crawford Street.

-- Reporter David Clouston can be reached at 822-1403 or by e-mail at dclouston@salina.com.

Credit: The Salina Journal, Kan.

Smith is a relay site coordinator at Jonesboro Baptist Church for Operation Christmas Child, a national program which began in 1993 and has collected more than 68 million shoeboxes filled with small gifts to give to children in need all over the world.

Operation Christmas Child is a project of Samaritan's Purse, a Christian relief and evangelism organization.

Several years ago, Smith's daughter helped with the program during the holiday season and told her mom about how much she enjoyed it.

"From that point on, we've been a shoebox family," Smith said.

Jonesboro Heights has been a relay site for Operation Christmas Child since 2003, she said. From there, the shoeboxes move to larger collection sites, like Charlotte, and then on to one of six national processing centers.

When Jonesboro Heights first got started with OCC, 23 other churches also participated and 2,676 shoeboxes were collected.

Last year, 4,160 boxes were collected and 72 area churches participated, Smith said.

"OCC is catching. Once you introduce somebody to this project, they just love it," she said.

Other organizations, like the Sanford Women's Center and the Central Carolina Jaycees, also participate, she said.

"It's not just a church thing, it's not just a Jonesboro thing," Smith said. "It's just as simple as filling up a shoebox with items that a child would enjoy."

Things like school supplies, coloring books, small toys, stuffed animals and toiletry items are all suggested items to fill a shoebox; but OCC asks that liquids, breakables, chocolate and war toys be left out of the shoeboxes.

"You might think it's kind of confining, but you would be amazed at what you can fit in a shoebox," Smith said.

Even during a recession, it's important to give at Christmas, she said.

"These boxes are going to kids in third world countries," she said. "Our poorest poor people don't understand what these kids go through. It's still important to give kids some hope and some joy."

Buying gifts for a shoebox can be done economically, too, Smith said, and buying gifts from dollar stores is encouraged. She said some who've donated shoeboxes have filled them for $15.

Smith called OCC "the highlight of our Christmas."

"People want to do something that matters. This is an easy way to help a child," she said.

Smith said a $7 donation is also requested, to pay for shipping and handling.

But if those interested in putting together a shoebox don't have the extra $7, "don't let that stop you from doing one," she said.

Smith said she could talk about OCC "forever."

"I love it. I have a passion for it," she said. "It's an easy, easy way to make a difference."

Two individuals and one local business were among a select few recognized this week for their contributions to education in South Carolina.

Nineteen individuals and organizations across the state received the state Board of Education's annual volunteer awards. The awards are broken into four categories: businesses, civic organizations, individuals and school improvement councils. School districts make the nominations each year.

Local recipients included the Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System Foundation for its work with Spartanburg School District 7, Christy Kesler, a District 3 volunteer, and District 1 volunteer Margaret Russell.

Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System Foundation was recognized for its focused effort at Cleveland Elementary School, especially in the areas of math and science. The foundation sponsored holiday wish lists for Cleveland students, set up health screenings, purchased school supplies and playground equipment and donated $60,000 to create an on-site science center.

Sheila Breitweiser, director of the SRHS Foundation, said the partnership helped renew in volunteers a sense of hope and optimism about what is possible in schools. Breitweiser said she was appreciative of the recognition.

"The administrative team of District 7 has been so forthcoming in their appreciation," Breitweiser said. "Nothing about this has been taken for granted."

Kesler, who recently moved out of state, was a volunteer at Cannons Elementary School in District 3. She served on the PTO and was president for two years.

Cannons Principal Karen Grimm said Kesler helped organize a new reading initiative, was a mentor to students, regularly brought in food for teachers on conference nights and recruited volunteers.

"She is a happy, cheerful person who was willing to spend lots of hours here to help in any way she could," Grimm said. "She gave it all she had."

Margaret Russell has been a volunteer at New Prospect Elementary in District 1 since her grandchildren, now teenagers, attended the school.

An avid reader, Russell spends time in the school's library at least three days a week.

She also helps in classrooms as needed. She likes helping students pick out books and tutoring them as they learn to read.

"I was so surprised, so stunned," Russell said of receiving the state award. "I'm glad they think that much of me."

The awards were presented Tuesday. For a complete list of winners, visit the state Department of Education's Web site at ed.sc.gov.

WHEN it comes to an educated population, the Bluegrass can hold its own against any other midsize metropolitan area in the United States.

With more than a dozen colleges, universities and technical schools in the area, businesses here have access not only to a steady stream of graduates but also to faculty resources and the latest research and development. They also have access to support and guidance from the University of Kentucky.

"I've said for many years that the great cities of the future are university cities," said Robert King, president of Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education.

In the Lexington-Fayette County metropolitan statistical area, almost 33 percent of adults over 25 have a bachelor's degree compared with the national average of 27 percent, according to the most recent census figures. The number of residents with graduate degrees for the same demographic is 13 percent in the Bluegrass compared to 9 percent nationwide. These statistics put Lexington on par with cities such as Portland, Ore., and St. Paul, Minn.

Kentucky, like many other states, is trying to improve its educational attainment levels. And though the Bluegrass has the advantage of exceeding state and national statistics, the area will directly benefit from Kentucky's goal of better preparing students for college.

King said by passing Senate Bill 1 this past spring, the state has shown its commitment to making sure students who earn decent grades have the attained the education necessary to succeed at college. Progress will be tracked using the national ACT as a benchmark as opposed to the current Commonwealth Accountability Testing System (CATS).

Currently, many Kentucky high school graduates are struggling at college and require remediation, said King. In fact, at Bluegrass College and Technical School, 75 percent of incoming students, including adults returning to school, require remediation in at least one area, said BCTS president Augusta Julian. Statewide the figure is more than half.

"This causes students to question their own abilities and keeps them from moving ahead as quickly as they'd like," Julian said.

King said this legislation will change that. "More students will be ready to go to college, succeed and graduate," he said.

The initiative also will help the state toward its directive to double the number of bachelor's degrees to mirror the nation's average. The state already has made some progress toward this goal, having more than doubled the number of degrees and credentials awarded statewide from 25,577 in 1998 to 52,031 in 2008. The number of graduate degrees awarded also almost doubled in the same time period.

Another state goal is facilitating students' ability to transfer between a community college and a four-year college, such as BCTS and UK, which have been working together to make this happen. This mission is becoming even more important, said Julian, as more students attend community colleges to take their prerequisites in this challenging economy.

Although Julian said the BCTS is educating more students on their way to four-year degrees and beyond, the school has a specific niche: to offer two-year programs in health science, manufacturing, construction and technical fields that fill specific job needs in the area and to develop shorter courses in tandem with companies in these fields to update or add new skills.

The challenge right now is that enrollment for this fall is up 7.5 percent as the state legislature struggles with budget shortfalls. BCTS has waiting lists for several programs it cannot expand without help from the state.

"It's a difficult situation," said Julian.

King said each university and college, like BCTS, has a niche that helps prepare students for the workforce. More than 80 percent of graduates of Kentucky colleges stay in the state to work. At Eastern Kentucky University, President Doug Whitlock said many graduates of the school find jobs in cities along the Interstate 75 corridor.

EKU, said Whitlock, provides students with opportunities in both vocational-technical programs and a broad-based liberal arts education. The school is one of the state's top providers of teachers, nurses and information technology employees. To better educate and attract future science teachers and science majors and aid in research, EKU is adding a state-of-the-art $64 million science building, which will open in the fall of 2011.

Meanwhile, the University of Kentucky is working not to attract and educate just students but businesses as well. The college has partnered with the city and state to help recruit and grow companies, in addition to helping distressed companies try and get their legs back, said Len Heller, vice president for UK's new Commercialization and Economic Development Office.

Over the past few years, UK has streamlined its efforts to work in partnership with the city and state on economic development. The joint effort is necessary to compete with other cities and nations and to respond as quickly as possible to new business applications and opportunities, Heller said.

Heller's office offers a wide range of services, including help with business planning; access to technology, intellectual and property rights; market research; and, even, entrepreneur boot camps. Several healthcare, engineering, and healthcare businesses have gotten their start through UK's business incubator, ASTeCC, before moving in to the community or out to the university's Coldstream Campus, which is being expanded.

UK also works with the Kentucky Small Business Development Center to help businesses find loans to get started or expand. In partnership, they have a special initiative to help companies in distress by looking at their business models, financials and processes.

"We've worked with 50 companies and were able to help a good majority of them," said Heller. "With some, it was just too late."

The latest innovation underway is an expert alumni network that connects businesses or start-ups with UK graduates who are now leaders in that particular field. The alumni, who will be thoroughly vetted, will volunteer a couple hours of consulting time. In a test run, 100 alumni participated and the number is growing as word gets out.

Combined, all these initiatives will drive the economy.

"In a global economy, the premium is on access to talent," said King. "What's needed most are highly educated workers. Employers will go where the brains are."