Walker’s holiday program brings joy to families in need

When Chassie Adamson's doorbell rang Dec. 16, she received an early holiday gift that surpassed her wildest expectations.

"This is unbelievable. I'm speechless," she said as deliverymen unloaded an entire houseful of new furniture for Adamson and her five children, compliments of Walker Furniture. "Larry Alterwitz and the entire Walker Furniture family are making this such a special holiday for us. Now we'll be able to eat at a table as a family, and sleep in real beds. This is such a blessing."

This year marks the 18th anniversary of Walker Furniture's Home for the Holidays program, which is providing a houseful of furniture to 27 families in need this holiday season. Since its inception, the program has donated a houseful of furniture to more than 440 families at a cost of more than $1.8 million.

As brand-new pieces of bedroom, living room and dining room furniture and accessories were set in place, Adamson's formerly bare apartment was transformed into a comfortable home the family will enjoy .

A single mother of five children ranging in age from 7 to 14, Adamson had faced a series of unfortunate events, culminating with the loss of her job more than two years ago. Since then, her search for employment has been futile, but she has retained hope that she will find a job and again be able to provide herself and her children with basic living necessities.

Bailey Middle School, where two of Adamson's children attend, has a program designed to help families in need with food and clothing, and had provided uniforms for the Adamson children. Jennifer Hill-Sanderson, the school's assistant principal's secretary, visited their home in early December to arrange an interview for a local television station. Upon entering Adamson's home, Hill-Sanderson was prompted to write a letter on Adamson's behalf to Walker Furniture.

"Ms. Adamson had lost her job and has been searching for over two years," Hill-Sanderson wrote. "This financial hardship caused her to relocate her family to a small, two-bedroom apartment.

"As if all this weren't enough," she continued, "my heart continued to break when I realized there was no furniture in the home and five children and her slept on twin mattresses that lay on the floor. She explained that the family lost all of their furniture due to a bed bug infestation in their former apartment complex.

"The one thing that stood out during our interview was that Ms. Adamson was not telling her story to gain sympathy," Hill-Sanderson added. "She seemed so grateful for the things that Bailey Middle School did when providing uniforms for her children. She continued to talk about other families that need help and that she felt blessed to have her children."

People who are selected as recipients in Home for the Holidays represent every imaginable age and lifestyle, with one common thread. Through no fault of their own, they have found themselves in unfortunate situations resulting from poverty, sickness, crime, disaster and, in some cases, all of the above.

Recipients typically include single-parent households having difficulty making ends meet, many of them with children suffering from physical or mental disorders, families who have lost their homes and belongings to fires, and families that have been affected by illness or domestic violence. The letters come from a variety of sources, such as teachers and students, health care professionals, social service workers, clergy, friends, neighbors, children and grandchildren.

Larry Alterwitz, chief executive officer of Walker Furniture, said thousands of letters are received each year and deciding which families are most in need is a time-consuming and difficult task for two independent committees. The preliminary committee consists of representatives of HELP of Southern Nevada, which assists individuals and families to become self-sufficient through direct services, training and referral. The executive committee consists of leaders in local government, business and the media.

"The letters we receive each year describe a variety of touching situations and, without exception, all of the individuals and families selected have suffered severe illness and hardships, yet demonstrate a remarkable resiliency of human spirit in coping with their situations," Alterwitz said. "We are happy to be able to make the holiday season brighter for the Adamson family and our other recipients. The Southern Nevada community has been good to our company over the years, and this is one way we can give something back each year.

"Home for the Holidays is also our way of collectively wishing the best of the holiday season to all residents of Southern Nevada," he added. "A program like this really does make a difference and we hope our effort will inspire others to provide help where it is needed this holiday season."