Thank you to the Juneau Community from the bottom of our hearts to your heart
We would like to thank the Juneau community and anyone else outside of Juneau that sent donations to the first Annual Dan Austin Memorial Winter Clothing Drive. It was a huge success and we are very grateful to the people of the Capital City and to organizations like Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI), The Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska business owners like Ron Flint of NAO or Nugget Alaska Outfitters and Rick Wilson, manager of Foodland IGA and ACE Hardware, for stepping up in a big way.
Hundreds and hundreds of hats, scarves, gloves, socks, boots and more have been donated to the Warming Shelter at the Resurrection Lutheran Church (RLC), The Glory Hall and the Dan Austin Center, which is part of St. Vincent de Paul Juneau. Your kindness and charity has helped many people in need this winter season and especially just in time for the holiday season to make it merry and warm with a new pair of gloves or a new coat.
I like to imagine Dan Austin is up in heaven smiling down on the generosity of people that he knew here in town and people he did not know. If I could name each and every person and group that donated I would, but please know that either the management of St. Vincent, The Glory Hall and those at the Resurrection Lutheran Church, all know who you are, and in my book that truly warms the cockles of my heart as my Mother used to say.
We look forward to continuing this new holiday tradition next year in 2022 and to figure out if there are other organizations that might also benefit from being part of the Winter Clothing Drive. Please note that people are still contacting me and of course you can give all winter and all year long to these three different entities (see below for names).
May you all have a wonderful and joyous holiday season. And may 2022 be a year that we can all feel safer and healthier and be able to continue to give to those in need in this wonderful town that we know and love.
Alexis Ross Miller, winter clothing drive coordinator; Brad Perkins, warming shelter coordinator at the Resurrection Lutheran Church; Dave Ringle, executive director of St. Vincent de Paul Juneau; Luke Vroman, deputy drector of the Glory Hall.
