The famous song When You Wish Upon A Star begins like this: When you wish upon a star, Makes no difference who you are, Anything your heart desires, Will come to you. Like every other child in our community during this festive season, our children living at the Nest Domestic Violence Shelter are wishing upon many stars.
If this holiday is anything like the prior years since the Nest opened in 2007, the big hearts of this community will make sure our kids get a very special Christmas, indeed.
It is that time of year again – time for the beautifully decorated Christmas Wishing Trees to appear in the gorgeous lobby of the Spencer Theater in Alto. For the last 6 years, the Spencer Theater has generously donated the venue for local non-profit organizations like HEAL and The Nest.
Charles Centilli, the Executive Director of the Spencer Theater, believes this is “one of the many ways that Spencer Theatre gives back to the community.” He noted the trees serve multiple purposes; they are good for advertising the Nest, they provide the Nest with exposure to the people with kind hearts who care about the women and kids living at the domestic violence shelter during, arguably, the most important family holiday of the year, and lastly, they are a means to obtain donations to support the valuable and life-saving services of the Nest.
Members of the Church out of Church donated their time and had great fun decorating the Nest Wishing Tree. Julie Gilliland, a minister at CooC and a member of the Nest’s Board of Directors, was instrumental in guiding this project and decorating the tree. The lovely tree has Christmas gift tags that beckon visitors to support the women and kids at the shelter.
According to Coleen Widell, Executive Director of Help End Abuse for Life (HEAL) and the Nest, “Many donors to our program have a very personal reason for supporting our residents during the holiday season. It may be that their sister was a victim of domestic violence or their mother. They may have grown up in a family where domestic violence was ever-present. They may simply be moved by the absolute injustice of intimate violence – being hurt by someone who claims to love you. Whatever the draw, we are united by this compassion. The sense of family is strong during this special holiday and the irony of women and kids living in a shelter, instead of their family where are not safe, is not lost on any one of us.”
Donations are gratefully accepted at the Nest, 26374 U.S. Highway 70 East, Ruidoso Downs, NM 88346. For further information about HEAL and the Nest, “like” their Facebook page or visit their website at www.HelpEndAbuseForLife.org.
Pictured are HEAL board member Julie Gilliland and members of the congregation of Church out of Church, decorating the HEAL Wishing Tree at Spencer Theater.
