Life Care Center of Ritzville surpasses Operation Christmas Child goal

At the end of this year’s Operation Christmas Child drive at Life Care Center of Ritzville, the facility counted 198 shoeboxes ready to go to needy children around the world. This exceeded the facility’s goal of 175.

Karen Scheel, who organized the effort at the center, attributed this result to the dedication of local sports teams and churches in the area and the facility’s own associates. Family members of residents also pitched in with filled boxes and donations.

“I want to give special thanks to all who helped make this year’s Operation Christmas Child drive a success,” said Scheel.

The Operation Christmas Child campaign distributes gift-filled shoeboxes to children in war-torn and poverty-stricken countries. It is run through Samaritan’s Purse, the Christian relief organization headed by Franklin Graham. Participants fill a shoebox with a mix of small toys, hard candy, school supplies, clothing and personal hygiene items.

In addition to collecting the boxes, Life Care Center of Ritzville also raised funds to fill boxes through having associates and guests pay 50 cents to guess how many pennies were in a 2-quart size jar. The person with the closest guess got a free lunch for two donated by Cow Creek Mercantile and Spikes Deli.

Associates then shopped for items and brought them back for a box-filling party.

“Volunteers and associates gathered together and spent the afternoon folding and filling boxes, a very social event for all,” said Scheel.

From Life Care Center of Ritzville, the boxes were sent to Alderwood Manor in Spokane on their way to the Samaritan’s Purse regional center in Tacoma. There, they will undergo final preparations for delivery to the children.

Life Care Center of Ritzville, located at 506 S. Jackson St., is an Operation Christmas Child collection center every year. It is one of 18 skilled nursing and rehabilitation facilities in Washington managed or operated by Life Care Centers of America.

Founded in 1976, Life Care is a nationwide health care company. With headquarters in Cleveland, Tenn., Life Care operates or manages more than 220 nursing, post-acute and Alzheimer’s centers in 28 states. For more information about Life Care, visit http://lcca.com.