YES, VIRGINIA, SANTA'S SPIRIT IS REAL (standard:non fiction, 1260 words)
Author: Marsha	Added: Mar 15 2002	Views/Reads: 3200/2210	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Kids in need are "adopted" by secret elves who deliver Holiday cheer!

Click here to read the first 75 lines of the story

the face of a sick child and you can't help getting back some of the 
joy that you give." 

(Susan Richard  lives several states away from Jan in Indiana,  yet
through the Hugs and Hope online chat group, they have become good 
friends.  Susan is mom to Rachel, a fifteen year old with 
Neurofibromatosis and several brain tumors.  The Hugs and Hope group 
has provided much needed encouragement to Rachel and her mom. 

Many of the parents of sick children who benefit from the Hugs and Hope
group sign on to become volunteers themselves.  Susan is now Donations 
Director, and she writes poetry and songs for the sick children in the 
group. Rachel enjoys sending "happy mail" to other sick kids like 
herself. 

"The volunteers find it very rewarding to know they are making a
difference in the lives of these children.  I sometimes wonder who 
benefits more - the volunteers or the kids!" Jordan said.  The parents 
of sick children write to me saying that this group is a blessing for 
them, but many volunteers have written saying the same thing! Anyone 
looking for a worthwhile cause to which they can devote their time will 
find it in the Hugs and Hope Club.  Volunteers who suffer from physical 
illnesses and handicaps, as well as depression, find that helping sick 
children keeps their mind off their own problems and makes them 
happier, healthier people. 

To learn more about this group, visit the Hugs and Hope Club web site at
www.hugsandhope.com. 

################ 

Author, Marsha Jordan, is Founder of The HUGS AND HOPE FOUNDATION for
Sick Children.  She is a disabled grandma who lives in the northwoods 
of Wisconsin with her husband of 26 years and their toy poodle, King 
Louie, who rules the household with an iron paw. Once an active 
volunteer in many scouting, school, community and church activities, 
Jordan was an energetic homeschooling mom who also worked as a 
secretary until her life took a sharp turn. Her busy schedule came to a 
screeching halt when she fell victim to an auto-immune disease which 
struck her blind for several months. She knows how it feels to be sick, 
in pain, frustrated, and afraid. When she encountered this roadblock, 
God steered her into a U-turn, but she continued full speed ahead in a 
new direction. Through her Hugs and Hope Club, Jordan strives to send a 
message not just to suffering families, but to all people that we don't 
have to face life's problems alone. God cares about our pain and 
desires to be intimately involved in our lives. He wants to help us 
through the struggles and have a personal relationship with each of us! 
Jordan likes to remind people that God has a plan for each life. No one 
is insignificant. And God can do great things with you, even if you 
lack great talent. It is her earnest prayer that hurting people will 
come to know the awesome love, peace, and joy available to those who 
seek God and serve Him. Jordan enjoys creating web pages, collecting 
and decorating with antiques, rubber stamping, and having fun with her 
three year old grandson, Cobi, who is the light of her life.  She's 
been published in 29 online newsletters and ezines. 


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