Winter Wonderland Event Underway at WTRC

HENNING – All this week residents at the Women’s Therapeutic Residential Center (WTRC) in Henning, Tennessee, have been enjoying an event called Winter Wonderland hosted by a Memphis based volunteer organization called WEBS (Women Empowered to Become Self-Sufficient).  The group has been volunteering with WTRC for 21 years, and has been hosting Winter Wonderland for the last 11 years.  The week-long event gives the residents an opportunity to shop for Christmas gifts, within the facility, for their loved ones.

Nicole Taylor, WEBS organizer, said the group wanted to set up the facilities gym like a store where the residents can shop at different tables for gifts.  “The residents receive a $30 card based on the number of kids they have up to age 17.  Once they are done shopping they have a meal ticket to eat and fellowship during the two hour session.”  She said all the new gift items, shopping money and food have been donated from local organizations, WTRC residents’ family members, volunteers, churches and individuals across West Tennessee.

“Once they are finished they can go to the shipping station (set up in the gym) and send their gifts to their family, or they can wrap the gifts to give to their family on Saturday, which is when we have a big Christmas party,” said Taylor.  “The residents who are eligible to have their children visit Saturday will get to see them open the gifts they bought for them.”

This Saturday, some of the resident’s children will spend the day with them at the facility Christmas party to open gifts and enjoy food and games.