Care Net celebrates Christmas with clients

Care Net of Carbon County clients were treated to dinner, presents and cake Sunday during its annual holiday celebration.

Aside from a gift bag provided to each one, children were also given the chance to pick out a set of hats and gloves to keep warm when winter’s chill comes in full force.

Care Net, a faith-based organization that provides counseling and resources for women who are pregnant, families, individuals and at-risk youth, has held the party for about 10 years now, said Suzi DeMara, the organization’s director.

“I know a lot of people struggle at Christmas with loneliness and depression and hard times,” DeMara said. “I wanted to do something special for our clients.”

Some kids took to the stage to sing carols while others ate with their families.

Following dinner, the lights were turned down, and children gathered around DeMara to hear the biblical story of Jesus’ birth, from the moment an angel appears before Mary in the book of Matthew to Christ’s birth in a lowly manger.

“Did you ever hear how Christmas began?” DeMara asked the circle of children around her before delving into the tale.

At the end of the party, a Nativity-scene cake was wheeled out from the back. Those gathered sang “Happy Birthday” to Jesus before blowing out the candles — a scene DeMara said always brings tears to her eyes.

Held in Trinity Lutheran Church in Lehighton, more than 150 people signed up to attend this year’s party. And for one volunteer, the packed dining hall reminded her of the large role Care Net played in her own childhood.

Kayona McFadden, 24, said she grew up with Care Net. Her adoptive mother, Rosemarie McFadden, formerly of Lehighton, taught parenting classes to the organization’s clients.

“My mom had such a serving heart,” McFadden said, adding that Rosemarie instilled that same heart in her children “from the get.”

Even after her mother’s passing in 2013, McFadden said she still volunteers with Care Net, managing its social media accounts remotely while she earns a degree in special educational studies at Kutztown University.

And nearly every year, McFadden sings at Care Net’s annual holiday party, providing for children the same tradition she admired as a kid: having a community each Christmas.

“I just love helping other people,” McFadden said.