Gift Wrapping to Help Charity Continues Tuesday Night

PTA members and their kids are wrapping gifts for donations that will be used to brighten the holidays for 12 area families in need through Singing for Smiles, a non-profit started by Taylor Johns.

Jen Taylor, Fishcreek PTA president, said Monday's wrapping event raised $165 in donations. "It is such a great program that Taylor has founded," she said. "We need another $350 for the charity to be able to provide nicely for the 12 famlies they adopted."

The two-day wrapping extravaganza started Monday and continues tonight from 6 to 8 p.m. at the school. The event is complete with cookies, hot cocoa, candy canes and live music performed by Johns, a junior at .

Johns founded the non-profit group Singing for Smiles in 2008, she said, "to help families with children that were struggling during this economic downturn. There was a boy in my class who was not going to be having a Christmas at all. It felt horrible to watch and see his struggles."

"Taylor's voice was amazing," said Heather Beale DeSessa who had her presents wrapped Monday night. "I had my gifts wrapped [last night] and they did an awesome job."

All donations raised through the gift-wrapping event will go toward Singing for Smiles' 2011 holiday campaign to buy Christmas gifts for 12 area families. Tonight's musical performance will include some of Johns' fellow members of  ETC All American Youth Show Choir, which has adopted her cause.

Taylor said this is the first year the school has done such a fundraiser. When she suggested the idea at last month's PTA meeting, other members were all in favor. Member Lisa Tilton suggested that Singing for Smiles be the beneficiary of the fundraiser.

Those whose gifts are already wrapped are welcome to visit the school tonight to hear the musical perforamance and enjoy some holiday treats, Taylor added.