��������

THEY HAD SERIOUS INJURIES. MORE THAN 2000 CHILDREN IN IOWA WILL RECEIVE CHRISTMAS GIFTS THIS YEAR, THANKS TO A RETIRED TEACHER IN ALBIA. KCCI’S LAURA TERRELL SHOWS US HER MISSION OF GENEROSITY. THIS IS THE BABY STUFF. IF SHOPPING WAS AN OLYMPIC SPORT, MARY SAUDER WOULD HAVE A GOLD MEDAL AND TONS OF NERF GUNS. YOU CAN’T HAVE ENOUGH NERF GUNS BECAUSE WE CAN NEVER KEEP UP WITH THEM. SHE SHOPS YEAR ROUND TO FILL THIS WAREHOUSE WITH TOYS. I JUST LOVE SHOPPING FOR TOYS. THE RETIRED ALBIA HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER HAS BEEN GIFTING TO OTHERS FOR 40 YEARS. ONE YEAR I WENT OVER TO OUR LOCAL PAMIDA STORE THAT DOESN’T EXIST ANYMORE AND THEY HAD THE CHRISTMAS TREE. SO I PULLED FOUR NAMES AND TOLD MY STUDENTS. I SAID, HOW ABOUT WE TAKE THE MONEY AND BUY GIFTS FOR THESE FOUR CHILDREN FROM FOUR CHILDREN? YOU DOING OKAY, BABY? YEP. TO NOW. MORE THAN 2000 THIS YEAR. THAT’S COOL. LET’S SEE YOU GET HER A BOOK. OKAY. SCHOOL DISTRICTS ACROSS THE STATE GIVE MARY A CALL. FIFTH GRADE. GET HER ONE OF THOSE SETS. ONE OF THESE? YEAH. ALL RIGHTY. THOSE ARE THOSE. SHE’LL HAVE A BALL WITH IT. YEAH. WITH A LIST OF ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN NEED. IF A TOWN GIVES US A CALL, WE’LL TAKE THEM. AND ONCE WE TAKE THEM, WE TAKE THEM EVERY YEAR. THESE OSKALOOSA HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS STOP BY TO SHOP FOR CHILDREN IN THEIR DISTRICT. SHE HAS, LIKE, BARBIES AND KEN DOLLS AND LIKE A BUNCH OF DOLLS ON HER LIST. SO WE’RE THINKING ABOUT, LIKE, GETTING HER A LIKE A BARBIE DREAMHOUSE. WE’RE FORTUNATE TO BE ABLE TO DO THIS, SO WE KNOW THAT IT’LL MAKE THEIR DAY. THEY SPEND MORE THAN AN HOUR PICKING THE PERFECT GIFTS FOR THEIR THIRD GRADER. I THINK, YEAH, I THINK FOR SURE THIS OKAY. AND THEN A KEN DOLL. YEAH. AT THE SAME TIME, MARY HELPS FIND A BACKPACK FOR A KINDERGARTNER WHO LOVES SPARKLES. OH, WAIT, THAT MIGHT BE EVEN BETTER. THAT’S PERFECT. AND IT COMES WITH A LUNCHBOX. YEAH. HOW’S THAT? OH, IT’S A UNICORN. OH, SHE LOVED THAT. AND IT’S SPARKLY. FILLING IT UP FEELS REWARDING JUST KNOWING THAT A KID’S GOING TO WAKE UP ON CHRISTMAS MORNING, AND IT’S GONNA COME DOWN AND SEE THINGS THAT MAYBE THEY WOULDN’T BE ABLE TO GET. OKAY. YEAH. ALL RIGHT. IT MEANS A LOT. THIS IS FOR ADLEY. DOESN’T HAVE ANYTHING YET. THIS IS ALL YOU GOT FOR HER? YES. OH, YOU GOT TO GET HER MORE. I WAS OH, OKAY. GOOD. ALL RIGHT. MARY’S GENEROSITY HAS NO LIMITS. I TELL THE KIDS NO. GIVE MORE IF YOU CAN GIVE MORE. GIVE THEM AS MUCH AS YOU CAN. BECAUSE SHE KNOWS THE POWER AND COMFORT OF A TOY. ADOPTED AT FOUR AND A HALF YEARS OLD, MARY LIVED THE FIRST YEARS OF HER LIFE IN AN ITALIAN ORPHANAGE. SHE CAME TO IOWA AFRAID AND NOT ABLE TO SPEAK A WORD OF ENGLISH. DAD SAID THAT I WOULDN’T COME TO THEM UNTIL THEY SHOWED ME THE TEDDY BEAR. SO THAT WAS IT. AND MARY HAS LOVED STUFFED ANIMALS EVER SINCE. THIS IS AWESOME. NOW, SHOPPERS ACROSS THE STATE SEE A GOOD DEAL AND DROP TOYS OFF FOR MARY. I FOUND THIS FOR AT WALMART FOR FIVE BUCKS. OKAY, COOL. BUYING BRAND NEW AT A DEEP DISCOUNT ALLOWS HER TO HELP THOUSANDS. I NEVER REALIZED HOW IMPORTANT SPIDER-MAN OR UNDERWEAR WAS TO A KID. OR COATS. SHE’S EVEN EXPANDED TO A SECOND WAREHOUSE OF COATS, BOOTS AND CLOTHES. THIS LITTLE GIRL CAME UP AND SAID, LOOK AT MY NEW OUTFIT. I MEAN, THEY WERE SO EXCITED TO GET SOMETHING. AND THEN THEY’D SAY, AND THEY STILL HAD TAGS ON THEM. THAT’S WHY WE LEAVE THE TAGS ON. SHE WANTS EVERY CHILD TO FEEL SPECIAL AND KNOW THAT EACH GIFT IS CHOSEN JUST FOR THEM. THE NEED IS UNBELIEVABLE. I GET UPSET ABOUT IT. BUT ANYHOW, THERE’S JUST SO MANY KIDS THAT NEED HELP AND IF IT WASN’T FOR MARY’S PROGRAM, THEY WOULDN’T GET IT. FROM BOOKS TO BIKES, I’M GOING TO HAVE YOU TAKE THIS WITH YOU JUST IN CASE YOU NEED ONE. AN EXTRA ONE. OKAY, MARY NEVER STOPS. SHE’S GOT SO MUCH ENERGY. I DON’T KNOW WHERE SHE GETS IT. YEAH. I’VE ALWAYS TOLD THE KIDS THAT I WANT TO BE MARY WHEN I GROW UP, THAT SHE’S AMAZING. YEAH. LIVING OUT HER MISSION. PUT THAT STUFF IN THERE. OKAY, BABE. GOT IT. OH, WAIT. CUTE OF GIVING IN. ALBIA LAURA TERRELL KCCI EIGHT NEWS. IOWA’S NEWS LEADER. WE SHOULD ALL STRIVE TO BE A LITTLE BIT MORE LIKE MARY. SHE RAISES $75,000 A YEAR TO BE ABLE TO DO THIS THROUGH HER PAY IT FORWARD CHRISTMAS CHARITY NONPROFIT. SHE SAYS HER BARGAIN SHOPPING GOES A LONG WAY. SHE SAYS A $100 DONATION BUYS $500 WORTH OF TOYS.