Volunteers make a merry Christmas

POTTSTOWN - December 25, 2007 The volunteers were led by James Williams at the First Baptist Church in Pottstown.

"Personally I believe in God and he blessed us with a way for the kids to have a Merry Christmas," Williams said.

However, some heartless thieves put this blessed Christmas for 300 area families in jeopardy. Many of the donated toys were stolen from the church basement last week.

"When they heard it on the news people called and said how can they help and I said we can use all the volunteers we can get," Williams said.

"They took away from the kids; they didn't take away from anybody else but the kids," Robert Rommel of Stowe, PA said.

Many kids were affected, including Baily Rommel, whose parents need some help with presents during the holidays because most of their money is used twice a month for Baily's breathing and ear treatments at Children's Hospital. The two-year-old is mostly deaf, but thanks to the big hearts of this community, the gifts were replaced and more than 300 families got presents and a warm Christmas dinner.

"A lot of presents for the kids especially right now with me missing work for her this helps out a lot for her," Robert Rommel said.

Christmas may come once a year but organizers put their heart and soul into preparing for this night all year long.

"Everybody loves it. Mostly I pay for it myself; I save from January to the end of November," Williams said.

So to the volunteers who helped replace the stolen gifts and to Williams who gives up his Christmas so others can have one, the children extend their warmest holiday wishes.