There was no tree in Bernadette Chattam’s office, but there were so many presents in there you would have needed three or four trees just to find a branch to fit them all under. The Christmas gifts were purchased by city of Dalton employees and elected officials to be given to 15 children in need this holiday season. Chattam, Dalton’s city clerk, championed the idea for the gift drive and included it as part of the display of the City Hall Christmas tree this year.
“I know there are so many kids that deserve a Christmas,” Chattam said. “And I just think that God has blessed us enough to be able to give back to these kids that really need it.”
When the large, ornate Christmas tree was put up in the City Hall lobby last month there were 15 hand-cut and handwritten ornaments included to represent 15 children who were identified by Dalton Public Schools staff as being in need of support during the holiday season. Each of the ornaments, cut from construction paper in the shape of a Christmas tree, had the age and gender of the child as well as their clothing size and some information about their hobbies and interests and any Christmas wishes they may have had.
Word was sent to the city’s department heads, elected officials and employees and those who wished to participate came to the tree and picked out an ornament to buy gifts for each child. The wrapped gifts were to be returned to Chattam’s office by noon on Friday, Dec. 15, so they could be distributed this week.
“My heart is overjoyed because I’ve wanted to do this for so long and this year we finally got it together and just to see all the presents in here, I know we’re going to make a difference in these kids’ lives,” Chattam said as she surveyed the piles of presents stacked on her office floor.
“It’s a true representation of our employees and our elected officials … the heart of the people we work with on a daily basis,” said Todd Pangle, assistant city administrator. “I’m really appreciative of the idea, the thought and the passion that brought it to fruition.”
This is the first year that a gift drive for kids has been included with City Hall’s holiday observance but it is certainly not the first nor the only outreach for kids in need during the holiday season by city staff. The city departments traditionally have their own efforts, including the Shop With a Hero drive on the part of the Dalton Police Department and Dalton Fire Department in which public safety employees raise money throughout the year for kids to be taken shopping for Christmas gifts.
“It basically says that we have people that want to look out for others,” Chattam said of the effort to give back. “I said this quote in one of our department head meetings, and this quote has really meant a lot to me in my life, and that is ‘If you feel bad, if you feel sad, if you feel lonely, just do one thing for someone else.’ Just one thing. It doesn’t have to be money, it can be a deed. Just go visit somebody or go help somebody, and I promise you, you’ll feel so much better.”
The Christmas gifts were delivered to social workers from Dalton Public Schools who distributed the gifts to the children’s families.