This is our website fROm our very first year - December 2010
On December 10th I was told by a 8 year old boy that Santa has never been to his house
which got me to thinking ... there are way to many children in the Wildwoods who don't get to experience Christmas the way my family, friends and I enjoy this special Holiday!
So I decided that I was going to make this young child's Christmas and others like him in our community. My goal was to collect enough gifts to help 25 kids... boy was I wrong there...
Thanks to a great community, some awesome friends and people I have never met
helped us in less than 12 DAYS with the following
... received & purchased (from cash donations) over 450 gifts
... received over $1,400 in Acme, Super Fresh & Shop Rite Gift Cards
... 11 New Bikes with helmets and locks - with six of them being donated by Walmart
... Clothes - hats, gloves, sweat shirts, tops & bottoms, jeans, and complete outfits
... due to the abundance of 3+ gifts we gave 1 wrapped package to
every Pre-K student at Glenwood Annex School
... donated over 100 NEW coats (just in time for the snow)
... 6 complete hot meals compliments of the families of Marie Nicole's
... 8 complete Christmas Dinners compliments of the Wildwoods FMBA #50
... The Crest Tavern who donated Turkeys to the Crest Families
In all, on Christmas Eve a team of 30 volunteers lead by the Wildwood Fire Department FMBA #50, Wildwood Police Department/CMC FOP Lodge #7 , Wildwood Crest Volunteer Fire Department, Wildwood Commissioner Al Brennan and Wildwood Crest Commissioner Don Cabrera along with some dedicated local citizens helped service over 80 stops to families in North Wildwood, Wildwood, Wildwood Crest, West Wildwood, Lower Township and Middle Township.
... over 225 children received a gift on Christmas Eve ...
Special Thanks to Jim Grauel, Spencer Smith, Brad Vogdes, Stephen DeMonte and his son's birthday party, The Kenedy Family of Northport (Big Daddy, Mama Bear, A-Train, Smiley & CBBB). The Gia Marcella Chiarella Fund, Kait Anzelone and Lunch With Lynch Foundations, GWTIDA, KONA, WALMART, JC Penney's, Boscov's, Wildwood Magazine, Lauren Suit of the Wildwood Leader, Totally Casual and ....
ANYONE WHO MADE A DONATION, WRAPPED OR DELIVERED A GIFT!
Press of AC - 2010
By RICHARD DEGENER, Staff Writer
WILDWOOD - John Lynch doesn't look like Santa Claus. There is no fluffy white beard, and the avid bicycle rider isn't even slightly overweight.
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But when Donna Troiano looks at him, that is exactly what she sees.
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"This is Christmas, and this is Santa Claus," said Troiano as she looks at Lynch, 52, of Wildwood Crest, standing next to hundreds of Christmas toys collected for the needy living on Five Mile Beach.
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Lynch may be a Santa Claus of sorts, one of many that engineer toy drives this time of year in their hometowns, but he will only admit to being: "The Lynch who stole Christmas from the Grinch."
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Using the Grinch in the marketing campaign for the annual Christmas toy drive has paid big dividends. The Grinch, a character in a Dr. Seuss children's book who tries to steal Christmas from the imaginary town of Whoville, is on the campaign's website, the Facebook page and in a YouTube video.
The Grinch even makes appearances at fundraising events, such as the upcoming Breakfast with the Grinch at the Key West Cafe this Saturday. Those who bring toys will get a free breakfast - but the real draw is the Grinch. "The Grinch comes in and tries to steal the toys," Lynch said.
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Of course, he never gets away with them because there are too many needy children in Wildwood, Wildwood Crest, North Wildwood and West Wildwood who need them more.
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"Last year 2,000 had to be wrapped, packaged and delivered. There is a lot of need. Over 90 percent of the children in the local school are on the free or reduced-cost lunch program," Lynch said.
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The Grinch helps bring a theme to the program now entering its fifth year. Lynch credits Beth Chiarella with coming up with the idea. Chiarella has her own toy drive, so it shows there is no competition when it comes to these things.
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"We all have one goal and that's to make Dec. 25 a brighter day," Lynch said.
As Lynch is talking, a steady delivery of presents is coming in to the Wildwoods Convention Center, where Lynch is director of sales and entertainment. The presents are being stacked up on the side of the room waiting for 150 volunteers, known as "the Grinch team," to wrap and deliver them around the island on the night before Christmas.
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First the presents are assembled based on gender and ages.
"You go to boy, sixth grade, and grab three things. Throw in some candy and stocking stuffers, wrap it up and put a label on it," said Lynch.
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There is master list of children and addresses. The local police and fire departments, and other citizen volunteers, do the packaging and delivering. Lynch's wife, Vicki, handles the financial aspects. Her official title is chief financial officer of Whoville, the town where the Grinch stole the Christmas presents in the Dr. Seuss book, before rediscovering the spirit of Christmas and returning them.
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Lynch has his own view of the spirit of Christmas that he got from his father, who did volunteer work in their hometown of Stone Mountain, Ga.
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"My dad taught his children, whatever your community gives you, pay it back twofold and you'll live a long and healthy life," said Lynch.
His father Hugh Lynch is 85.
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He also sees the need when he asks local children what they want for Christmas.
"One wanted a warm blanket for their mom. Another said, 'We move so much Santa doesn't know where I live.' It was like I was punched in the stomach," Lynch said.
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The first year Lynch wanted to help 20 families but delivered to 87 of them. It has grown each year. Last year, partly due to Hurricane Sandy victims from northern New Jersey staying here, they helped hundreds of families. Sometimes they even go off the island to mainland towns to deliver to needy children.
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So far they have always had enough gifts. So far, they have overcome the Grinch.
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Contact Richard Degener:
609-463-6711
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How to help
To contribute call 609-849-8887 or log on at www.lunchwithlynch.com/grinch/
