12/05/2012 Trinity provides gifts for S.D. reservations By ELISA SAND, Staff Reporter Aliya Jones (front, right) presents a filled Christmas box to Dave Reed, custodian at Trinity Lutheran Church, for Operation Brighter Christmas. Watching are (back) The Rev. Constanze Hagmaier and Lisa Gale, coordinator of the local program. Middle school students at Crow Creek and McLaughlin will receive specially wrapped shoe boxes filled with gift items later this month as part of Operation Brighter Christmas. The program is sponsored by Trinity Lutheran Church in Madison and was organized by Lisa Gale and Lori Schultz. It was launched last year and involved members of the Lydia Circle, who assembled treat bags for students at Crow Creek. This year, shoe boxes are being filled with a variety of hygiene items, small toys, notebooks, calculators, puzzles, writing utensils, hats, mittens or scarves. Members of the congregation picked up pre-wrapped boxes, which were designated for a boy or girl in sixth, seventh or eighth grade, and returned the packed box to the church. The boxes were then sorted and packed for delivery. No postage costs were involved. Gale said family members were lined up to deliver the shoe boxes to the reservation schools. Both the selected schools have a connection to the congregation. Kathy Rindels, who is a Trinity member, is in her second year of teaching middle school computer classes at Crow Creek. Tiffany Haynes-Reed, the daughter-in-law of a congregation member, is in her first year of teaching middle school English at McLaughlin. Gale said the program originally started with boxes available for students at Crow Creek, but in promoting the program, the church discovered a connection with McLaughlin and immediately expanded the program to include the additional students. The Rev. Constanze Hagmaier said the local congregation responded immediately. "I don't think there was any hesitation," she said, indicating that the boxes for Crow Creek were gone in two days and the second batch was gone just as quickly. Hagmaier said some congregation members brought in extra items, which were included in the boxes. She said members embraced the program for a number of reasons -- it's a practical program, it's hands-on, and the congregation knows the people involved in the project and that it will benefit others in South Dakota. Eighty-one boxes have already been delivered to Crow Creek. Another 95 will soon be en route to McLaughlin.

©Madison Daily Leader 2013