"Merry Christmas!" the letter began. "Instead of swapping Christmas gifts... our family decided to truly experience the joy of giving. I could not think of another organization more deserving than Wesley Community Center. Please accept the enclosed check. You opened the world of organized athletics to me as a 10-year-old when I needed that outlet the most. I will never be able to pay for all the lessons learned there."
The greetings and gift were received by the Wesley Community Center
in Amarillo, Texas. Like the United Methodist Church, the gift giver
understands the importance of providing children with safe havens in
their communities. Located in an inner-city low-income area of Amarillo,
the Wesley Center provides child care, senior citizens' programs, health
services, language tutoring, after-school programs, voter registration,
and more. With its staff of 16, the center served nearly 6,000 persons
in 1996.