Christmas Wish sign-ups now open

Operation Christmas Wish, formerly known as the Ozark County Toy Drive, is now accepting applications from local families who need a little extra help making the holidays special for their children this year, as well as from residents who would like to financially support the program and help bring Christmas joy to children across Ozark County.

Applications and donation information are available at the Ozark County Times office in Gainesville and at Ozark County Social Services. The deadline to turn in forms is Thursday, Nov. 14. Those who cannot make it to town to get a form or donation information can request to have one mailed by contacting the program directly through Facebook. Forms will also be sent to those who have already provided their mailing address.

The longtime holiday program, which has provided Christmas gifts for Ozark County children for nearly 60 years, is now led by sisters Karla Smith and Kris Ledbetter, who took over from longtime organizer Nancy Walker last year. Walker helped start the original Toy Drive in 1965, when used toys were wrapped in newspaper and handed out by the Young Homemakers Club in the courthouse basement. The event has since grown to serve 250 to 350 local families each year.

Under Smith and Ledbetter’s leadership, the event was renamed Operation Christmas Wish and shifted to a hybrid format that combines elements of the traditional toy drive and the Angel Tree program. Families now fill out a simple form listing their child’s age, clothing sizes and one special Christmas wish, an item valued at 40 dollars or less, to make sure every child receives something meaningful under the tree. This year’s giveaway event will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13, at the First Baptist Church’s event center on Third Street in Gainesville.

“Operation Christmas Wish is about intentional giving,” Smith said. “We want each child to receive a gift they have asked for and for parents to be able to share that joy with them on Christmas morning.”

Financial contributions can be made by dropping a check at Century Bank of the Ozarks with “Operation Christmas Wish” in the memo line, or by mailing it to the bank (PO Box 68, Gainesville, Mo. 65655). For more information, to request a mailed form, or to coordinate a donation, reach out to Karla Gillespie Smith on Facebook, at 417-683-7489 or karlasmith33@hotmail.com.