Kentfield resident has collected gifts for foster kids for 10 years [The Marin Independent Journal, Novato, Calif.]

Dec. 18--Ten years ago Kentfield resident Barbara Waxman did some work for Marin County and noticed an insert with her paycheck asking workers to donate holiday gifts for foster children.

Waxman said she donated two presents that year and liked the process so much that soon she began collecting gifts for dozens of foster children at her home each year. After a couple of years, she got Kentfield School District students involved, and now the entire fourth grade at Bacich Elementary School collects and wraps gifts for Marin foster children each year.

"The first year I took two kids ... and the next year I took 10, and the next year I said, 'Why don't I take the whole county?'" said Waxman, 49, noting that other donors have always contributed gifts as well.

When she started collecting gifts, Waxman herself had three children in Kentfield schools. Now her youngest is in high school.

She decided that each foster child should get a book, a toy and clothing. Children older than 10 receive a gift certificate instead of clothes so they can pick out items for themselves, she said.

Despite working on the project for a decade, Waxman has never met any of the gift recipients. For confidentiality reasons, Marin County Children and Family Services gives her just the child's first name, age and wish list.

Some years grateful thank-you notes arrive from children, she said. One boy's grandparents sent a photograph of him

joyfully riding a bicycle community members chipped in to buy him.

"I know the secret of happiness is giving," Waxman said. "I also do it (at Bacich school) because I think it's a gift for our children here."

On Wednesday morning, Waxman and two Children and Family Services employees, Jeannie Damazio and Kimberly Contreras, spoke with Bacich fourth-graders and collected the students' gifts.

"It's especially nice that you are doing this because then they know that other kids are thinking about them at the holiday time," Damazio told students in Sara Niesen's fourth-grade class.

The county provides gifts for about 200 children, ages birth to late teens, involved in the county's "dependency system" -- meaning they are in foster homes or receive some sort of help from Children and Family Services, Damazio said.

Besides Waxman, other donors include Marin General Hospital, Costello & Sons Insurance, the Marin County Fire Department, Twin Cities Police Authority, county employees and other groups and companies.

If there are extra gifts, the county takes a truck to San Rafael's Canal neighborhood right before Christmas and lets parents pick items for their children.

Damazio said Waxman began collecting gifts at a time when the county had lost some previous donors and her help has been invaluable.

"She called (us) in the perfect year," Damazio said.

In Niesen's classroom, 9-year-old Kari Geissberger said she brought a boa and fairy wings for a 7-year-old girl.

"I like doing this and helping people," Kari said. "I like giving people stuff."

Parker Leopold, 9, said the project made him feel "very good because I've never even met these people, but we put in a lot of time and effort."

Ten-year-old Jamie Miller, of Kentfield, was succinct in his views of the project.

"I have the warm fuzzies," he said with a smile.

Niesen said all of her students seemed to enjoy the gift collection, which was "a really fun, meaningful process for them.

"Most of the time when we have a party in the classroom, it's about celebrating them," she added. "This is about not really knowing the person and doing something nice for them."

Contreras, who distributes presents directly to children in the county system, described their reaction as "so joyful.

"It's wonderful to see such young people showing kindness and compassion," she said of the Bacich students.

Waxman said she plans to continue running the Bacich gift program indefinitely.

"The beauty of this truly is to teach the kids that giving is as important as receiving during the holidays, and for the foster kids to know, 'There are people who care about me even if I don't know who they are,'" she said.

Contact Jessica Bernstein-Wax at [email protected]

HOW TO HELP

For information on how to donate to children receiving help from Marin County Children and Family Services, send email to Jeannie Damazio of Children and Family Services at [email protected].

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