Sheriff Vásquez — a special Christmas thank you

“The Christmas Spirit: I enter the home of poverty, causing pale-faced children to open their eyes wide in pleased wonder. I cause the miser’s clutched hand to relax, and thus paint a bright spot on his soul. I cause the aged to renew their youth and to laugh in the glad old way. I keep romance alive in the heart of childhood, and brighten sleep with dreams woven of magic. I cause eager feet to climb dark stairways with filled baskets, leaving behind hearts amazed at the goodness of the world. I cause the prodigal to pause a moment on his wild, wasteful way, and send to anxious love some little token that releases glad tears – tears which wash away the hard lines of sorrow. I enter dark prison cells, reminding scarred manhood of what might have been, and pointing forward to good days yet to come. I come softly into the still, white home of pain, and lips that are too weak to speak just tremble in silent, eloquent gratitude. In a thousand ways I cause the weary world to look up into the face of God and for a little moment forget the things that are small and wretched. I am the Christmas Spirit!”

Used with permission from www.washingtonmo.com

In almost every family over time grows a set of Christmas traditions, in which the years are marked and small joys take on a special private meaning. As the years pass by, and with every new generation, adds layer upon layer of meaning, and the Christmas spirit is encouraged along until it envelops the house in its wondrous warmth. The great charm of Christmas is that it is not a particular place or time but a spirit of warmth, generosity and goodwill that is always welcome everywhere.

For millions of Americans, young and old alike, Christmas has a different meaning. To some it is a fat jolly Santa Claus with a bag full of presents, carolers singing Yuletide hymns, and a lovingly decorated tree glowing with the joy of the season, hence, “Happy Holidays.” Yet to others Christmas is the time to celebrate the birth of Jesus and the salvation He brought, “Merry Christmas.” Whatever meaning Americans apply to this season the common theme is the spirit of giving.

But, for the poor, Christmas presents like toys seen on TV are not always what a child dreams of getting from Santa. No, presents are far more likely to be something someone needs with extra cash going for the basics. There are many parents in Pinal County who struggle to put food on the table, clothes on their children’s backs and a roof over their heads. Presents at Christmas time; for many there are none. We as fathers are supposed to be the providers for our family. I know it makes my heart feel good to sit and watch as my children, and my grandchildren, excitedly open the gifts my wife and I purchased for them. I can only imagine the depression a father feels when he cannot give his children gifts at Christmas time. The emotions that run through him when he hears his child say how they wish they could have a Transformer, a Barbie doll or an iPod. Yet, he cannot fulfill that Christmas wish.

We at the Sheriff’s Office believe there is more to law enforcement than just responding to the calls for service and arresting the bad guy. I am proud of the deputies, detention officers and civilians who believe in giving back to our community, staff like Stormee Wallace, Tamatha Villar, Kent Ogaard, Lori Schaum, Kaye Dickson, Paul Licano, Graciano Lopez, Sylvia Shafer, Andrew Wikstrom and Barbara Munoz just to name a few.

For the past several years these and others have worked tirelessly to raise money for our Sheriff’s Toy Drive and Sheriff’s Santa’s programs. This year we raised more than $33,500 for both of our Christmas programs and reached more than 2,500 children that were able to have a Christmas. These dedicated men and women used the funds to purchase thousands of toys and then deliver them to the families in time for Christmas. Your deputies and civilian staff delivered toys to children in Queen Creek, Gold Canyon, Apache Junction, Superior, Kearny/Dudleyville, Mammoth, San Manuel, Oracle, Red Rock, Marana (Pinal Co.), Casa Grande, Florence, Coolidge, Stanfield, Maricopa and the Gila River Indian Community. An e-mail from Deputy Paul Licano talking about the delivery of gifts reads: “Friday (December 21, 2007) was emotional. There was one lady who almost made me cry. I tried to keep my manly side up, but my eyes watered and they didn’t leak, barely. This woman was so moved by the gifts for her grandchildren. Her husband is disabled, and she said they wouldn’t know what to do without our program. She said to make sure Sheriff Vasquez knows that they are very thankful for his kindness and allowing his deputies to do this for the community.”

The Sheriff’s Santa’s program provided 31 children with $500 each to shop for gifts not only for themselves, but for their entire family. Each child was paired with a deputy or civilian employee who assisted them in their selections. As I watched these boys and girls shop I was amazed that they all put themselves last. One little girl bought her mother a vacuum cleaner and her father an air compressor. A little boy bought each of his siblings a brand new bike and clothes. What really touched my heart was if a child went over their spending limit the deputy made up the difference out of their own pocket.

I feel truly blessed to have an agency with the Christmas spirit, the spirit of giving. I cannot express my thanks to them and citizens like Taylor Werner of Maricopa, organizations like Maricopa Optimists, Global Water, UPS Store, JC Penny’s, Wal-Mart and Johnson Utilities for giving of themselves to help those in need. There are so many citizens and organizations who gave that I cannot name them all. Thank your for your generosity.

I hope you had a very Merry Christmas and that your New Year will be prosperous.