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Young mom wants toys for daughter Light One Candle EDITOR'S NOTE : "Light One Candle" is an annual Mail Tribune feature that focuses on a single need of a person, family or agency during the holiday season. For information, call 776-4465 or e-mail [email protected] At an age when most kids are pining for cool clothes and the latest Mariah Carey CD, a 16-year-old Medford girl doesn't want anything for herself this Christmas. Instead, she's hoping that somehow she'll find a way to provide a warm coat and a few cuddly toys for her 1-year-old daughter. The girl is alone after moving to Medford from the East Coast. She is part of the Independent Learning Program run by Community Works of Medford. Through the program, she is learning the skills she needs to live on her own. For now, the young mother and her toddler are living in a foster care home. "For being only 16, she's very intelligent and has a good head on her shoulders," says Pat Carter, program coordinator. "She is a great mother and a good kid. She cares about her daughter more than anything else in the world." The teenager is working and trying to find a home of her own, Carter says. But money is tight, and she can't quite come up with extra funds to provide Christmas gifts for the baby. Most-needed items include a coat or other warm clothes, blankets and stuffed animals. But this teenager is not alone. She's among dozens of pregnant teens and young parents struggling in the ILP program. Any extra donated household goods or baby toys will be distributed to other young families. To donate items, contact Carter or Jazzma Barge at the ILP program, 770-1270. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA