CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Christmas came early for West Virginia families affected by the June 23 flood.
On Monday, volunteers with Friends Helping Friends WV and HealthSmart joined together in Charleston to wrap presents for families whose homes were washed away in the storms nearly six months ago.
“To let them know that it is going to be okay and that they’re going to be able to have that Christmas for their children, it’s unbelievable. There isn’t words for it,” said Brandi Jones, founder of Friends Helping Friends WV.
Craig Julien, senior vice president of operations for HealthSmart, said it was important for his organization to get involved in the effort.
HealthSmart is the nation’s largest independent administrator of health plans for self-funded employers.
“Many folks, including some of our staff, were affected by the floods and it’s one of those things that you have to kind of look out a couple months in this case and say alright, people are still in need,” Julien said.
Gift items included clothes, blankets, heaters, toys, bicycles and gift cards.
Julien said HealthSmart “adopted” two families who sent them personalized gift ideas.
“These were specific items that people needed. Also, donations for cash to go buy certain items, but pretty much anything in their household if they lost everything they would need. This is just something to help them get through,” he said.
Jones founded Friends Helping Friends WV, a local volunteer effort, immediately after the flood. She said she personally connects with the families she works with because she was involved in a similar situation as a young girl.
“I lost everything in a flood when I was small, so I kind of realized what they were going through,” she said.
That motivated her to partner with organizations like HealthSmart to give back to these families during the holiday season.
“I thought about children who had already lost and suffered so much and to think that, okay, we’ve already lost so much, and oh yeah — Santa forgot about us. That was kind of my push to try to make sure that we can help as many people as possible,” Jones said.
“It’s just to let everyone know that somebody still cares,” she said.
The gifts were delivered to families Monday afternoon.