squirrel235

Registration closes Dec. 29. To register, call Julie Jaksha at Links of London Sale -6780 or Ashley Purcell at 533-6782.Andrea Griego said at first the members of the Torch Club, a national program of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, were a little reluctant to join. "At first, a lot of them are nervous and don't know what they're getting themselves into," said Griego, who serves as one of the two Torch Club advisers at the club's branch at the Pueblo of Pojoaque Boys and Girls Club. The Torch Club is designed to help students ages 10 to 12 develop leadership skills and expose them to different ways of helping the community. Griego said that the 13 kids in her Torch Club have been hard at work this holiday season, working on projects that help children. The theme of "Children Helping Children" was a product of Linking Hearts and Hands, which helps determine a philanthropic focus each year for all clubs around the nation. This year, the members took on causes that serve other children. Griego said the kids of Pojoaque chose two projects for the Links of London Earrings: KOATS for Kids (they've partnered with KOAT Channel 7) and Operation Christmas Child, a national program that collects shoe boxes filled with holiday gifts and other items for children ages 2 to 4 in more than 100 different countries. "We came across Operation Christmas Child and the kids were excited about putting together boxes, knowing that these boxes were going to go all over the world," Griego said. "It was cool to see how excited they were putting the boxes together." The Torch Club is still accepting new or gently used winter coats for the KOATS for Kids program until Monday. The club will deliver the coats to KOAT on Wednesday. Griego noted that the Torch Club feeds into the Keystone Club, which is a teen leadership program that gives students an opportunity to earn scholarships and honors like Youth of the Year. "They're able to develop their leadership skills," Griego said. "It helps them to be motivated in school to get Links of London Sweetie Bracelet big grades." Griego said she's noticed a positive change in all the members. "They're getting more excited and having more ideas," Griego said. She added that though the club has focused on the two projects for the winter, members are looking toward the coming seasons for new ideas and new organizations to serve. Any nonprofit that serves children is encouraged to call the Pueblo of Pojoaque Boys and Girls Club at 455-3659.You know it's a frantic shopping day when it takes more than 20 minutes to find parking at the local mall. The last Saturday before Christmas was just that kind of day. "Oh my God, it took us like 30 minutes to find a parking spot," said JoAnne Guce, of Henrico County, who by 4:30 p.m. was going home from Short Pump Town Center with several Macy's shopping bags and only about 40 percent of her Christmas shopping done. The wait for parking and the lines at the store were all worth it, she said. This year Guce is Links of London Sweetie Bracelet Medium less on holiday gifts, but she said some good sales will help her stay within her budget. Shopping center parking lots were full all day Saturday as many stores opened with extended hours and sales.