The Johnson County Christmas Bureau successfully served 2,855 families ( 10,387 individuals) at this year’s Holiday Shop held in December. The new but vacant Circuit City Building in Merriam was a great location for us this year. We also had over 3,500 volunteers who came and helped people shop, stock groceries, and work in all of our departments, such as toys, clothing, books, coats, and gifts. More people than you would realize came to the holiday shop for the first time this year, and gratefully accepted our help. With the growing population of Johnson County, and the down-turn in the economy, we are needed more than ever. Thanks to everyone who donated or volunteered at this year’s shop. We couldn’t do it without your help. We had schools, businesses, church groups and service organizations, too many to name, and lots of great people we see every year at shop. A special thanks to all our department chairman who work so hard to serve our families and make sure they have what they need for their families holidays.
Our big news at the Christmas Bureau this year is the addition of our new Executive Director, Barb McNeile. Barb has been a volunteer at the Christmas Bureau, has experience in the non-profit field and has also worked in the real estate business. She has great enthusiasm and a heartfelt committment to the JCCB. She has already started meeting with department chairs, community groups and volunteers and is bringing fresh ideas and projects to our organization. This year is our 50th anniversary, and we want to celebrate! We are in the beginning stages of planning and organizing this event, and we are very excited to have been a part of Johnson County since 1960. We want to get the word out to everyone what a great organization we are, and tell everyone about what we do every year helping families. We work year-round to prepare, improve and get ready for our December shop. For more information about us, please visit our web-site ( soon to be updated!) www.jccb.org. Looking forward to a great 50th year!
Barb O’Donnell, President JCCB
