n Junior Auxiliary of Taney County is all about helping improve the lives of childrein Taney County. What better time to make a difference than Christmas? JATC’s Christmas Assistance Project does that by filling Christmas bags for kids.

This year JATC chose 108 kids ages newborn through 5 years old enrolled in Head Start and Early Head Start programs sponsored by OACAC to help these kids have a good Christmas. Kandy Loehr, Area Supervisor for these programs said “We are grateful to JATC for providing wonderful gifts for our children and families.”

JATC members obtained sizes and ages from the children’s teachers and then went shopping.

Bobbie Wydeen, chair of the Christmas Assistance program commented, “What fun we had finding the perfect gift for each child!”

Each child received a bag that contained a hooded coat, a new outfit, a pair of gloves, a book, and a toy. Special thanks to Impulse Plus, Inc. for their donation of gloves for each bag, and to both Ozark Family Vision Centre and Branson Christian Church for holding toy drives that helped fill the bags with toys.

JATC is more than a nonprofit organization, it’s a group of women united by a single cause and dedicated to helping the children of Taney County. That’s the magic of JATC. It was chartered by a group of caring, enthusiastic women in 1998 and continues to grow and thrive throughout Taney County. Approximately 50 members annually contribute more than 4,000 volunteer hours as they strive to improve the mental, physical, social and emotional well-being of children in Taney County. JATC is part of the National Association of Junior Auxiliaries (NAJA), a non-profit organization founded in 1941 with headquarters in Greenville, Mississippi. Their slogan is “Caring Hearts-Helping Hands-Changing Lives”.

Christmas Assistance is one of many service projects that JATC members provide to the community. Other JATC projects include Tender Critters for children in trauma; School Supplies “refreshment” in January for elementary schools; Book Swap for children who live in extended-stay motels; Kindness Effect Cards for residents of nursing homes and senior living centers; Santa’s Gift House where children can do their own shopping for loved ones and learn that giving can be more rewarding than receiving; and Scholarships for each of the four high schools in Taney County. More information about JATC can be found on the Junior Auxiliary website JATCMO.ORG, their Facebook page, Junior Auxiliary of Taney County or via email at jatcmo@gmail.com.

Published by: Branson Globe, Thursday, January 5, 2023; Branson Tri-Lakes News, January 11, 2023