RHONDA GRIFFIN,STAFF WRITER

The Bladen Journal Empty Stocking Fund for 2006 kicked off this week with Mark Summerlin of the Elizabethtown Jaycees donating $500 on behalf of the organization.

Members of the Classic Cruisers Car Club have also been waiting to start the season off right, once again planning to donate their usual $2,000 to the fund.

An annual event to the Bladen community, the fund assists local families who need help providing Christmas presents for their children.

The funds collected are used to purchase gift cards from area businesses, which are given to the families selected to receive the funds. The rules of the Empty Stocking Fund require that the cards be used to purchase Christmas gifts for the children of the household.

The Bladen Journal is teaming with United Way of Bladen County once again, with the organization taking applications from those who would like to be considered to receive funds this year.

Applications will be accepted on Dec. 4 - 5, from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. The United Way office is located on Morehead Street in Elizabethtown, behind the King Street gym.

All funds will be collected at the Bladen Journal office, located at 228 West Broad Street in Elizabethtown, or by mail at P.O. Box 70, Elizabethtown, NC 28337.

Christmas is the season for giving, and there are many here in our local area who are not able to provide for their children. The Bladen Journal Empty Stocking Fund helps to bring smiles to children’s faces each year by helping their families put a little something extra under their tree.

As always, the staff of the Bladen Journal is committed to the continued growth of the Empty Stocking Fund.

Those who are able to give are encouraged to do so. The money donated will benefit those in need right here in Bladen County.

As in past years, all contributors to the Empty Stocking Fund will be listed in a future edition of the Bladen Journal.