Vero Beach Hometown News
Friday, December 29, 2006
By Warren Kagarise, Staff Writer
VERO BEACH – A crowd of kindergartners, 100 strong, surged forward with one destination in mind: Santa’s lap.
It was Dec. 20 at The Source, a faith-based agency that provides services to the city’s homeless, and the Dodgertown Elementary students were on hand to sing, meet Santa and hand out gobs of cheer.
Five days before Christmas, the wrong side of the tracks felt a lot like the North Pole.
“This,” The Source executive director Tom King said, “is the spirit of Christmas.”
The center’s dining room, dressed up with sparkling Christmas trees and multicolored lights provided the backdrop for a set of Christmas carols that included “Jingle Bells,” “Up on the Housetop” and perennial favorite “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.”
Judy Forgham, a Dodgertown kindergarten teacher and longtime volunteer at The Source, decided the center should be a stop on the students’ Christmas concert tour.
“People don’t think you can bring children to a place like this because it’s not safe, but it’s not that way at all,” Mrs. Forgham said, gesturing around the room where dozens of children milled about, munching on chocolate Santa Clauses.
Nancy Halbert, a kitchen manager at The Source, called it a “feel-good place” and said the students would leave with a better sense of their community.
“Having them give to the homeless is awesome,” Ms. Halbert said. “It’s a great teaching tool, and these guys know someone cares about them.”
The Source, located on the southern stretch of Commerce Avenue next to railroad tracks, was dealt a setback on Dec. 14 when the county Planning and Zoning Commission said the center could not open its proposed Life Recovery Center on 37th Street.
Neighbors of the proposed facility said they did not want to see an influx of homeless people into their neighborhood.
The center plans to appeal the decision to the County Commission.
“The Source is all about community,” Mr. King said following the kindergartners’ performance. “Things like this make these folks feel bonded to the community.”
