Children will have the chance to see what it is like to do the Christmas shopping on Saturday, at the Elves’ Gift Shop at Park Forest Middle School, all while giving mom and dad a chance to relax during the stressful holiday season.
In its 30th year, the gift shop is set to be open from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., and is put on each year by the Junior Woman’s Club of State College. Admission is free and all money raised goes to a local charity.
“It really is a fun time for families. Watching the little ones shop around for a gift, trying to decide what is going to be best for each of their friends and family members is a fun experience,” said Louwana Oliva, co-chair of the event this year.
Children are typically given a certain amount of money from their parents, and are lead around from station to station with the help of a Girl Scout dressed as an elf. Each station has gift ideas for certain types of family members such as parents, siblings or grandparents, said Oliva.
“The Girl Scouts are so great helping the kids figure out how much they can spend on each person, and helping the kids navigate the whole experience,” said Oliva.
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While the children are out shopping with their elves, parents are given some time to themselves. There are vendor tables for them to browse, a raffle and even cookies.
Another highlight for the children is story time from 10 a.m. to noon.
The Junior Woman’s Club is a group of like-minded women who meet monthly to works to enrich the community through raising funds and performing service projects to help local charitable organizations.
The gift shop is the largest fundraiser for the club and it is dedicating all proceeds from the event to the Jane Marie Foundation. The foundation empowers young people, especially young women, in the area through scholarship programs, educational programs teaching about making positive choices, practicing self-respect and maintaining healthy relationships.
“It was a natural choice for us, with all the good work the foundation does to benefit young women in the area, it is something that we really think benefits the community,” said Oliva.
So those who come out for the event have a chance to benefit the community along with their family.
“The Elves’ Gift Shop is something that is good for the community and fun for the family,” said Oliva. “It really is a nice way to get into the holiday season.”
