Adopt A Teen program calls for support amid holidays

The Christmas season is such a happy time of year. Can you imagine being a teenager, waking up on Christmas morning to no gift under the tree? Although it may be hard to believe, there are teens right here in our community who will experience this very sadness and embarrassment during the holiday  season.  

While it is difficult for any child to understand and deal with being overlooked during the holidays, it is  particularly hard for teenagers, who are already dealing with their changing emotions, life decisions, and  peer pressure. You can help to make the holiday season brighter for teens who would otherwise have  little or nothing to smile about during this time of year. 

As a sponsor of the Rusty Mac Adopt a Teen program, you have the power to help make the holiday  wishes of one or more of the teens served by the Exchange Club-Carl Perkins Center for the Prevention  of Child Abuse come true. The Rusty Mac Adopt a Teen program was started in 1997 based on the idea  by Rusty Mac that teens are the forgotten “children” at Christmas.  

This program has now been expanded to help teens throughout the year, mainly with school supplies,  clothing, and other school activities. This is something Conrad and I have discussed many times, and, in  his honor, we named this part of our mission “Conrad’s Good Deeds”. Rest assured all teens needing  sponsorship for Christmas will be taken care of first, then any funds above that will go toward this much needed addition to the program.  

This year, we have 355 teens on the list to be adopted for Christmas. The staff knows what these teens  want, but they need the funds to make it happen. For $100, you can guarantee one teen feels loved and  supported this holiday season.  

Donations can be mailed to Exchange Club-Carl Perkins Center, P. O. Box 447, Jackson TN 38302, by  credit card over the phone at 731-668-4000, or at carlperkinscenter.org.

For more local news, click here.