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This girl would like doll that's all her own 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] By JONEL ALECCIA Light One Candle As the only girl in a family with five boys, this Medford 4-year-old doesn't often get things -- particularly pretty things -- that are just for her. The pre-schooler lives with her aunt and her dad while her mother receives treatment for substance abuse. She's left to play on her own a lot, and one of her favorite games is to pretend to be a mother, says Sharon Schreiber, director of the CERVS social service agency in Medford. If this 4-year-old had a single wish for Christmas, it would be for a doll with fancy clothes. "All of her siblings are boys, so there are no hand-me-down toys or clothes," says Schreiber. Even at her young age, this child needs affirmation that it's OK to be a girl. "Right now she has formed perceptions of how important she is and how the world treats her," Schreiber says. The girl is one of dozens of children from low-income families that CERVS strives to supply with holiday toys. Usually, the agency has more than enough playthings, but this year the cache is low, Schreiber says. Most-needed items include new educational toys, books and art supplies. "No toys with batteries," Schreiber says. "The parents can't afford the batteries and they don't teach the kids very much. Coloring books, crayons, clay: They're always useful." It's important for CERVS to have toys on hand because many parents struggling to survive don't realize until it's nearly too late that Christmas is coming. And the specific gifts aren't as important as the sentiment behind them, Schreiber says. "It's not so much an issue that it's Christmas and these kids need to overachieve," she says. "It's more that these kids need to know that there are people in the community who care about them." Donations will be accepted at the CERVS offices, 601 N. Grape St., Medford. Or call Schreiber at 779-8564. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA