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�A very sweet thing� Generous �Candle� donors overwhelm recipients By Jonel Aleccia The 11-year-old boy stood in the bike shop, slightly stunned by the outpouring of generosity that surrounded him. First, there was the Razor scooter � in green, his favorite color. Then there was the Zumiez skateboard, complete with Spitfire trucks. Then there was the Fred Meyer gift card, stocked with $100 cash, plus the mysterious wrapped boxes under the tree. Finally, there was this: a Gary Fisher "Rig" freestyle bike, a navy blue one, all offered free by readers of the Mail Tribune�s "Light One Candle" series. "It�s got front pegs and back pegs and knee bars," he said, wonderingly. "This is the bike of my dreams." And then he took the shiny steed for a spin in the parking lot of Medford Cycle Sport, bumping over curbs and racing around curves, leaving the grownups on the sidewalk to debate the finer points of gifts and giving. This child knew how to receive. "Can you tell the people, �Thank you�?" he said. "Can you say, �Thanks a lot�? I really, really needed that." The Ashland youngster was among a dozen children, families and agencies profiled in the paper�s annual holiday series that focuses on meeting individual needs. Like nearly all of the featured recipients, the boy was inundated with an outpouring of public generosity. "It�s amazing," said Jan Janssen, youth diversion officer with the Ashland Police Department. "Giving is complicated in our society, but to give to a child is a very sweet thing." The boy, who went shopping with Janssen Friday, said he planned to share the gifts with his six brothers and sisters. The response included groceries and cash, which was a relief to the boy�s dad, who lost his job this week, Janssen said. The boy used extra cash to buy his dad a pair of shoes and his sisters some cologne and candles. "I never had a skateboard like this or a bike like this. I�ve been having a lot of luck," the boy said, shaking his head. "I want to say �Wake up! This is so cool! Wake up!� " But workers in area social service agencies say it�s not mere luck that propels people to give. There�s more generosity out there than some people believe, said Sharon Schreiber, executive director of CERVS in Medford. Most folks just don�t know how to give. "This has been a good year," she says. "People have been extremely loving." Larry Stidham, head of Stidham Trucking in Yreka, Calif., was among the most generous of the "Candle" benefactors. He�s responsible for the bike the 11-year-old Ashland boy will ride, and for several brand-new sports coats and jerseys that went to a boy from Kids Unlimited of Southern Oregon. Stidham, who grew up in a farm family of seven children, says he was motivated by memories of doing without. "I know what it�s like not to have the things the other kids have," he said. "I just wanted to help." At CERVS, other benefactors gave at least 30 packs of diapers and a dozen offers of respite care for a Medford woman coping with an infant grandson and her elderly mother. Kids Unlimited was swamped with sports jackets, sports jerseys, toys and money directed to the 11-year-old son of a heroin addict and an 8-year-old who wanted a real football. "The response has been awesome," said Tom Cole, agency director. "We received so much we are able to help other families. There�s certainly no shortage of need." Baby toys, clothes and cash were offered for a White City family struggling to recover from a pressure cooker accident. "We�ve been overwhelmed," said Diana Escobedo of the White City Family Center. At least a half-dozen people have offered a home to a 14-year-old Medford couch surfer, said Jennifer Durst of Community Works. Volunteer foster parents must be approved before placement. In the meantime, at least five sleeping bags and boxes of food came in for the boy. The extra bags will be delivered to other homeless kids, Durst says. But even that was minor in comparison to the response to the 16-year-old mother who needed household items. "That�s the one that�s making us run," Durst said. "We�ve had a wonderful flood of toilet paper, lots of diapers and cleaning supplies." The other "wonderful flood" was the tide of stuffed animals that came into the Children�s Advocacy Center of Medford. Hundreds of animals in all shapes, sizes and hues were donated as cuddly comforts for sexually abused kids. Some of the animals were stored for use later in the year. Others were handed out right away, said Christina Hill, intake coordinator. "We so appreciate people�s generosity," she said. "I think a lot of it is just that they want to help. People truly do have good hearts and they just want to help." Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.