'Santa Bucks' Lets Du Quoin Kids Buy Presents for Family Members

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[ The Du Quoin PTO this week hit a home run for children and families all across Du Quoin by setting up a "Santa's Workshop" in the media center at the Du Quoin elementary school. Principal Peg Pursell said it was actually the return of a once-popular holiday project, and it brought out the best in both children and members of the PTO.

The PTO set up large gift tables in the media center and kids could browse and shop for dozens of items for parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, brothers or sisters.

Most of the items could be purchased for one "Santa Buck." Each Santa Buck could be purchased for $1, but had a value of $2. Kids could then trade the Santa Bucks for presents from he table.

Any youngster who forgot his or her money or who didn't have a dollar, was given a free Santa Buck to spend.

Once the items were selected, the kids carried them over to the wrapping table where kids placed them in bright white bakery sacks. The kids drew Christmas scenes on the fronts of the sacks, then sealed them.

Some kids added ribbons. Others stapled hand-written messages to their parents on the sacks.

The kids took the sacks home and they will be placed under the family Christmas tree.

The workshop was open Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

According to Pursell, while Santa's Workshop is a fundraiser for the Du Quoin PTO, the focus was less on making a profit and more on a high quality Christmas holiday experience for kids.

Nobody left the media center without a present, and the heart-warming exercise is definitely what the Christmas season is suppose to be about.

Du Quoin students dismiss for the Christmas holiday on Monday, December 22 at 2 p.m.