*STORY ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON DEC. 19. REPUBLISHED DEC. 22 AS A TIMELY REMINDER FOR SHOPPERS.*
OCALA, FL (352today.com) – Don’t get wrapped up in holiday stress! Whether you’re a busy parent who just doesn’t have the time to wrap your own gifts or you don’t really know how to wrap a box let alone make a bow, the solution is as easy as a trip to Ocala’s Paddock Mall.
Steps away from the Starbucks, just outside the Macy’s and across the center court from Kay Jewelers on one side and Reeds Jewelers on the other, you’ll find Santa’s elves surrounded by cylinders of wrapping paper, boxes filled with bows and the familiar sounds of scissors slicing paper and tape being dispensed from rolls.
https://youtu.be/jKEW19qpBFM
The volunteers at this makeshift kiosk are donating their time to provide gift-wrapping services for a small fee.
“I’d love to be described as a Santa’s elf,” said Peggy Bourne. “You can drop your gifts off. The ‘elves’ will wrap them up in any kind of paper you like and then you can come back and pick them up.”
Bourne is a retiree who has volunteered at the gift-wrapping station the last four or five years.
“It’s very inexpensive,” added Bourne. Prices range from $1 for an extra-small, wrapped gift box to $5 for an extra-large gift. You don’t have to purchase your gifts at the mall. You can bring them in from outside. The gift-wrapping service is available daily through Christmas Eve from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Pay with cash or a check.
Gift Wrapping for a Good Cause
The service that will help you survive the holiday chaos also helps a good cause. All the money raised helps support domestic violence prevention programs of the Marion County Children’s Alliance (MCCA).
“They wait to the last-minute on Christmas Eve. The mall lights go out and they’re still in line but it’s okay because it’s for a good cause.”
-Monica Bryant, Marion County Children’s Alliance Family Violence Prevention Coordinator
“Over the years, I’ve had to wrap quite a few things. I get a challenging item every year from a fishing pole to an ATV, to golf clubs.” You might call Monica Bryant Santa’s chief wrapping officer. “You really want your ends to be good and not crumpled up. So that the ends look nice because even though people are only paying a few dollars for it, it’s still a service and we want them to be happy with what they’re getting for their money.”
|VOLUNTEER GIFT WRAPPERS STILL NEEDED: Sign-up for a shift here. Must be 18 and know how to wrap gifts.
Outside of the holiday, Bryant’s real job is Family Violence Prevention Coordinator for MCCA. She also chairs the local Domestic Violence Task Force. “Our task force operates a domestic violence apartment. We help victims get back home. We may help them with their rent. We may buy diapers. Anything it takes you and I to live… that’s what we do for them,” said Bryant.
For 13 years, Bryant has sacrificed the last two weeks before Christmas to staff the gift-wrapping station. “It’s important for me for those that are going through an abusive relationship to know that there’s hope and there’s help,” said Bryant.
Domestic Violence Doesn’t Discriminate
Bryant says people generally don’t realize the extent of the domestic violence problem. “In Marion County, every year we have more than 3,000 reported cases between the sheriff’s department and the police department. This year, we’ve had four domestic violence homicides,” said Bryant. “Since 1997 when we began tracking them, we’re up to 143 people that we’ve lost in this community as a result of domestic violence.”
The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV) says domestic violence takes many forms from emotional or psychological abuse to stalking, physical abuse, rape and death.
“National statistics say one out of every three of our teens will be in a violent relationship. One out of every four women is, has been or will be abused and one out of seven men. So, it’s really prevalent in Marion County,” said Bryant. “A lot of people don’t understand we have a problem here. Most people think it’s just an individual problem. But it’s not. It’s a community problem. One that we all work to try to address.”
Bryant says another misconception is that domestic violence happens only to poor people.
“Cheryl Deamer-Boykin was a hospital administrator,” recalls Bryant of the 46-year-old whose husband shot and killed her in 2003.
“Tiffany Barwick is from here. She used to go to West Port High School. She was killed in south Florida,” stated Bryant. Barwick and her friend Michael Ruschak were shot and killed in 2007 by Barwick’s ex-boyfriend. The two had filed a report with law enforcement earlier in the day. At the time though, Florida law didn’t allow authorities to make an arrest. Since 2008, Florida’s Barwick-Ruschak Dating Violence Act allows officers to make an immediate, warrantless arrest when there is reason to believe an act of dating violence has occurred.
“We’ve had children that have died as a result of domestic violence. Our first homicide this year was a 17-month-old little boy,” said Bryant. “So, it doesn’t discriminate. It can happen to anybody. We want people to know there are resources and services out there available to help.”
Holiday Stress Contributes to Domestic Violence
Bryant says financial problems add stress to relationships. The high cost of living – rent, food and gas prices, childcare costs – causes friction in families. Then, add in the pressure of the holidays and sometimes it becomes too much to handle.
“Most people equate the holidays with being happy. For domestic violence victims going through an abusive relationship, it’s not always that way. There’s a lot of extra stress that goes along with that in trying to provide gifts for the family or paying bills,” said Bryant. “It’s not a cause but it definitely can add pressure to families during these times because people expect the holidays to be happy and unfortunately, they’re not happy for everybody.”
Help for People in Abusive Relationships
Bryant says fear of or resistance to change is what keeps a lot of people from leaving an abusive relationship.
“They don’t have anywhere to go. They have children. People don’t really want to go to a shelter. When you go to a shelter, you’re there with some people you really don’t know. They would rather stay home with what’s familiar than to go out (leave),” said Bryant. “What I would say to them is anything you have at home you can get back. The one thing you cannot get back is your life. If it’s a matter of being safe for you and your kids, make that decision. We can’t make it for you. We won’t tell people to leave. That has to be your decision. But when you decide, then we can help you with your future plan.”
If you or someone you know is in an abusive relationship, call the Florida Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-500-1119.