First United Bank makes Christmas magic at Childress Healthcare Center

CHILDRESS – Christmas came early for Childress Healthcare Center residents when First United Bank employees turned the Childress Healthcare Center cafeteria into a Christmas country store for residents to shop on Wednesday, Dec. 7.

“The elderly have had a special place in my heart since I used to visit the nursing home with my great-grandmother as a child,” First United Bank Vice President and Operations Manager Kacy Crouch said. “It makes my heart so happy to see the joy on their faces when they get to come in and shop for snacks and things.”

Crouch said while the bank provided the majority of the items for the store, employees and their families also contributed. Assistant Vice President Alabama Bohannon and teller Hannah Foster joined Crouch at the event and helped residents shop.

This event couldn’t have come at a better time.

“I was having a hard time getting the residents into the Christmas spirit this year because of health issues,” Childress Healthcare Center Activity Director Donna Brown said. “There were some residents who would not get out of their room for anything.”

But they came out for the Christmas country store. In fact, so many came out there was a long line outside of the cafetoria.

“They (residents) are ready to shop,” Brown explained. “They are so excited for this country store. This helps a lot, because we have certain residents who can’t go out to shop.”

Other residents don’t have the money to buy extra snacks and items during the holidays. “This is a way for them to do that,” Brown added. “This starts off their Christmas cheer for this year. I love to see them shop.”

Brown said residents earned the money to shop by attending and playing games earlier in the year. “They don’t shop with real money,” she explained. “They have what we call bonus bucks, and they have been looking forward to this for the last two months.”

While the residents had fun shopping, Brown said their fun didn’t stop at the event. You could say the Christmas country store is a gift that keeps on giving.

“They (residents) will call their families, tell their families about it and how good of a time they had,” Brown said. “It’s wonderful. We really appreciate it.”“As a bank, we like to be involved in the community, so we were thrilled with the opportunity to do this,” Crouch said. “We encourage the community to give back this season in the spirit of generosity!”