By CAROLINE CARMICHAEL / Staff Writer

Irwin Family Chiropractic Clinic helped bring a merry Christmas to Chilton County foster children through its support of the Foster Care Christmas Wishes Program.

The Foster Care Christmas Wishes Program is the single, annual fundraiser held by the Department of Human Resources in Chilton.

“That is the annual project in which we seek donations from the community to pay for the foster children’s Christmas presents, as well as to offer people the opportunity to sponsor specific children,” Marilyn Colson, director of DHR in Chilton, said.

This is the seventh year the family clinic has contributed to DHR’s efforts to provide memorable Christmases to foster children, according to Colson.

Colson said the family clinic hosts a Patient Appreciation Day each year, dedicated to providing patients with free services, while inviting them to fund or sponsor foster children in the DHR program.

“And whatever folks contribute, Dr. Irwin matches that,” Colson said.

For foster children who are not sponsored, Colson said DHR faculty and staff purchase wish list items with donated funds.

“We’ll have a wish list from the child, and they will actually get the items on the wish list,” Colson said.

Numerous individuals, groups and organizations contribute to DHR’s Foster Care Christmas Wishes Program each year. The Irwin clinic is merely one among many faithful Chilton supporters.

“The community — it’s just amazing what they do,” Colson said, thanking all contributors for their support and the program’s success each year.

“It’s an unbelievably hard job,” Colson said of working for DHR, “because … we are the parents to these kids.”

Colson said DHR faculty members strive to meet all medical, educational and emotional needs of the foster children in their care.

“We’re also having to do all the paper work that goes with that and work with the families to try to unify them the best we can,” Colson said. “It’s a very difficult job.”

“But at Christmas, when we get this kind of support from the community, it lets us know that the community really does care about the kids and about what we’re doing,” Colson said. “It makes us feel appreciated too.”