This Elf is Not on the Shelf

The Anonymous Elf surprised customers at The Mom Shop, a gift shop exclusively
for children in residence at Amity House and Hope House.

The Anonymous Elf treated Victim's Advocate Carmen Knox to an impromptu dance number. 

         

          The food at the annual Christmas party for the Glynn Community Crisis Center was delicious, and the portions generous. The Mom Shop, full to the limit with lovely gifts for children to select for their mothers, was exciting in the way that Christmas should be– an opportunity to participate in the joy of giving. The kids were thrilled with their own gifts. But they will remember something else for a long time. Or, rather, someone else: the Anonymous Elf, Santa’s trusty helper.

            When young ones arrived at the Mom Shop, they were greeted by a real, live elf. Pointed felt hat with bells, shoes with upturned curly toes, pointy ears and twinkling eyes. All the requisite elf regalia were there, along with the playful, merry spirit. There was no doubting his authenticity: this was a regulation-issue, bona fide elf.   

            Needless to say, the reaction was surprise and delight. As the children went into the Mom Shop one family at a time, Mr. Anonymous accompanied them and helped as elves are inclined to help, holding the giant bags into which the carefully selected treasures were placed for each lady. After all the shopping was completed for all the adults in residence at Amity House, the Crisis Center’s domestic violence shelter, and Hope House, the transitional living location, the elf joined families at the shelter for another surprise: the arrival of Santa.

            As Santa did a program of Christmas stories and songs with the children, the Anonymous Elf cheerfully participated then did what elves do best. He helped Santa pass out special gifts for each child.

            When a child is removed from the home due to domestic violence and moved into a shelter, especially at holiday time, it can be traumatic. The Crisis Center, which is the beneficiary of the annual A Taste of Glynn event, knows exactly what is needed to make the season bright. A full staff of experts, including advocates for adults specializing in legal matters, career and educational advancement, a full-time specialist dedicated to child advocacy, counselors, house managers and program managers work year-round to help families create new lives full of hope, free from domestic violence. But at Christmas, there’s an additional aspect to their mission: fun. Plus games, parties and presents. Surprises, too. Like a chance to hang out with a real elf.

            Who is this elf, really? Does he have another identity for 364 days a year? We don’t know. He lives up to his name Anonymous Elf. But here is what we do know: he shows up when Santa needs help. He also delivers gifts to needy families, rings the bell and by the time they answer the door–he is gone. He vanishes, actually. He is, as you might expect, very jolly. He is a good guy through and through. When kids–and their parents– need to believe, he just appears somehow. What better place for him to show up for a party than Amity House?

            This holiday season, we all need to believe. Believe in the good that lies in humanity, in our ability to experience joy, in hope for the future. Everyone at the Glynn Community Crisis Center, as well as the sponsors, participating chefs and volunteers for A Taste of Glynn, wish the happiest of holidays to our caring, supportive and loving community.  

The Mom Shop

From an unassuming office...

... to a shop full  of holiday excitement.

Call it pandemonium. Call it excitement. Call it Christmas.

            Whatever you call it, The Mom Shop at Glynn Community Crisis Center (beneficiary of the funds raised by A Taste of Glynn) turned a perfectly dignified professional office space into holiday central again this year. For months, Adult Advocate Carmen Knox and Children’s Advocate Paula VanOtteren have been gathering gifts for mothers and their children at the Crisis Center’s Amity House, the domestic violence shelter, and Hope House, the transitional living residence for those who are in the process of remaking their lives. The big party on December 12 was the culmination of hours of devotion and love.

            The shelter is full right now. Along with families, Amity House has a number of single women in residence. It’s an especially tough time of year to be away from home, starting over. Even tougher if there are children involved. Victims can arrive at the shelter with only the clothes on their backs. It’s a long way back to the financial stability and security that allows parents to afford gifts for their children.

            This year, the children range in age from 4 to 16. Escorted by a Crisis Center staff member or community volunteer, each family group comes to the Mom Shop sans parent and fills a shopping bag with gifts they select for their mother themselves. The children select one item from each category of gifts; purses, bath products, jewelry, robes and decorative items like small picture frames. The selection is impressive, but the source of this bounty is even more so.

            “We have a very generous community,” noted Carmen Knox. “Gifts come to us for The Mom Shop from area retail stores, from churches and from individuals. These are beautiful things that the children are proud to give as gifts to their parents.

            The Mom Shop offers children at the Crisis Center an opportunity to experience the joy of giving. “Selecting the gifts themselves makes the children so proud,” Paula VanOtteren pointed out. “They love to tell their mothers, ‘I picked this out just for you.’ Our goal is to let the children feel as if they are really shopping for Christmas.”

            The generosity doesn’t stop there. “If we have a family with several children, we give the oldest child a chance to pick out some things for their mother, but also to shop for one of the single ladies in the shelter who might not have a child to shop for her,” Paula explained. “This way, each person has special gifts that someone selected with her in mind. Nobody is left out.”

            It’s a proud, joyous, exciting day. Santa arrives to surprise the children with a gift just from him. Each family has a portrait photograph taken by Paula’s husband, Eliot VanOtteren, the corporate photographer for Sea Island. Special goodies abound. It’s the type of holiday magic that these children might never have experienced previously in their lives.

            Carmen Knox stands by, taking it all in, snapping pictures to remind everyone of the wonderful day. She has worked on this day for months each of the five years she has been on staff with the Crisis Center. The end result is always worth it. “We just have to give huge props to our community,” she repeats. “We could never have done this without them.” 

Gracious Plenty

            Everyone loves to share favorite memories of holidays. And when it comes to food, staffers at the Glynn Community Crisis Center are no exception. In fact, they take food very seriously. Their main fundraiser each year is the favorite culinary event of Georgia’s Golden Isles, A Taste of Glynn. So food is a serious topic at GCCC.

            Guests at A Taste of Glynn vote for their favorite restaurant chef or caterer to receive The People’s Choice Award, while expert judges select winners in specific categories like seafood, health-conscious fare and gourmet entries. There are plenty of other types of goodies as well– a well-stocked Silent Auction, wine raffle and plenty of cool vibes from favorite local musicians. And considering that the event is hosted by the legendary King and Prince Beach & Golf Resort, located on St Simons Island, the  #1 island vacation destination according to Conde Nast, it is no wonder that it enjoys celebrity status. All proceeds from A Taste of Glynn support the Glynn Community Crisis Center’s Amity House, Hope House and outreach programs for those who experience domestic violence. The upcoming year’s event, scheduled for March 24, 2013, promises to be an intense competition, with challengers planning months in advance to take top prize.

            But March 24 is a long wait for foodies, especially when you are dreaming of the most food-centered holiday of the year, Thanksgiving. We asked the hard-working staff at the Crisis Center to share their favorites with us.

            Executive Director Mary Hogan is one smart lady, and apparently knows how to delegate deliciously. “My son-in-law always fries a turkey,” she told us. “He cooks it just right!”

            Administrative Assistant Kerri Copeland looks forward to “old-fashioned cornbread dressing made with turkey broth and giblets.” Volunteer and Outreach Coordinator/Shelter Manager Shanna Hatfield loves dressing, too. Victim’s advocate Katherine Johnson also put cornbread dressing on top of her list, and added, “Daddy makes the best sweet potato pie.”

            Kellie Lauer, Development Coordinator related, “When I think of Thanksgiving dinner, I always remember my Great-Gramma Trude’s homemade macaroni and cheese. So thick and yummy with lots of cheese on top. My mouth is watering just thinking about it!”

            Thanksgiving memories are closely tied to events along with food for Carmen Knox, Victims’ Advocate, who shared, “We always gather at the social hall at my Great-Grandma’s church for our annual family reunion Thanksgiving dinner. There are always picnic tables full of great homemade dishes like ham, turkey, greens, chicken and dumplings and macaroni and cheese. My favorites are the macaroni and cheese and my aunt’s homemade cinnamon rolls.”

            Children’s Advocate Paula VanOtteren, another lifelong macaroni and cheese devotee, looks forward to “broccoli casserole made by Mom, from a recipe passed down through the generations!”

            But perhaps Jacque Loggins, Hope House Program Manager, says it best. “My favorite Thanksgiving foods are candied yams and turkey, but the best part of Thanksgiving is family and friends gathered around the table.”

            Well said! Here’s to Thanksgiving, to food for the soul as well as the body, and to a generous community that supports the Glynn Community Crisis Center throughout the year. May your holiday be one of gratitude and abundance, shared with the important people in your life.

Have a blessed day

            As Southerners, we are proud of our hospitality. It is our trademark, and an important part of our identity. People from other parts of the country–and the world– are a bit incredulous when they experience it first hand. Visitors arriving in the Golden Isles from Boston recently were taken aback when they arrived.

            “People let us out in traffic,” they related, awestruck. “And held the door for us and told us to have a blessed day!”

            It didn’t take long for them to acclimate, however. We might have even heard a “y’all” come out of their mouths before they climbed aboard the plane, headed back to the chilly north.

            While they were here, they were impressed with another local attribute: a dedication to food. We are not talking average fare here, but fresh local delicacies, prepared lovingly by people who know what they are doing. We admit to an advantage. Our mild weather gives us an extended growing season, which translates to an abundance of wonderful, fresh food. Savvy cooks know how to preserve those seasonal delights and capture the sunny sweetness of one of our most delicious local resources: figs.

            Fig trees in the Golden Isles explode with soft, ripe, sweet fruit in late July and early August. Local baking expert Mary Allen gathers ripe figs in summer, cooks them and freezes them for her special holiday fig bars. Then, she loads up platter after platter of home-made treats, including the fig bars, and takes them to Amity House and Hope House, residences for those victims of domestic violence.

            A Taste of Glynn, a culinary competition and tasting celebration, is the main fund-raiser for the Glynn Community Crisis Center, which operates Amity House and Hope House as well as an extensive outreach program. The next event is March 24, 2013, at the King and Prince Beach & Golf Resort. Tickets are on sale now, and will be available up to the day of the event.

            Holidays for those who have experienced domestic violence can be difficult, but Mary is determined that they will enjoy the best she has to offer. Which, considering her years as a former bakery owner, is an exciting prospect. She just dropped off an incredibly generous array of delectable goodies at Amity House, and was gracious enough to share her fig bar recipe for others to enjoy.

            Any day that has this much kindness is a blessed day, holiday or not. And today, we celebrate Mary Allen, who is a blessing to all who know her.

           

Mary Allen’s Fabulous Fig Bars

Fig Filling:

3 cups ripe figs, cut up

¼ cup sugar

½ teaspoon lemon juice

1 ½ cups water

Crust and topping:

½ cup butter or margarine, softened

¼ cup shortening

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1 ¾ cup plain flour

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon soda

1 ½ cup quick-cooking oats

Optional glaze:

½ stick butter, softened

1 16-oz box powdered sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

To make the fig filling:

Place all ingredients in a saucepan, and cook over low heat for about 15 minutes, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens. Using a wire whisk helps break down the figs to a smooth texture. Cool and spread over crust, as directed below.

A note: Mary uses fresh figs, which she cooks at the peak of ripeness and freezes for use during the holidays. She tells us that you can also use fig preserves for the filling.

To make the crust and topping:

Grease a 9 x 13” pan, set aside.

Cream butter, sugar and shortening. Add remaining ingredients, mix well. Press about ¾ of the mixture into the prepared pan. Spread the fig filling ( or fig preserves) over the top of the crust, crumble with remaining crust on top of the figs. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30-35 minutes, allowing the top to brown. Cool, and cut into bars. Makes 24 two-inch bars.

If you want to add the glaze:

Combine butter, sugar and vanilla extract in a mixer, beating well until smooth. Add a few drops of water until the consistency allows you to drizzle the glaze over the top of the cooled fig bars.