The Portsmouth Area Ladies (PALS) explored the true meaning of Christmas and giving back this season, after an impactful event that provided cheer and opportunity for residents of Portsmouth Metropolitan Housing Authority’s (PMHA) Hisle Park.

In 2018, PMHA and Shawnee Family Health Center set out on a mission to provide a new housing structure in Portsmouth that would create a supportive housing initiative for mental health and those aging out of foster care.

The groups battled through a funding campaign, a pandemic, supply issues, but recently held an emotional opening and ribbon cutting event last March, where they showed off an impressive new complex, nestled in the hillsides of Hisle Park, that holds 45 units.

The result of the hard work is the first permanent supportive housing facility for vulnerable transitional age youth, ages 18-24, and young families in southern Ohio.

With the complex being only recently developed, and the services being new to the area, the idea of helping was heavy on the minds of PALS members. In order to give back, they reached out to offer a Christmas miracle worthy endeavor.

While the group, historically, exists to make grants available to the community in which they spend the year fundraising for, they always offer a Christmas project each year. For this season’s project, with the residents of Hisle Park in mind, they donated 45 Christmas trees, as well as decorations, skirts, toppers and more in conjunction with Big Lots. Every resident had the option to collect decorations and make their homes a little cheerier and brighter.

“Every year, we have a different Christmas project, and we chose this one this year. We did this because the Hisle Park Apartments just started in March,” PALS President Tami Davis said. “At the time we were talking to them, they weren’t at capacity, but we asked if there was something these residents would like for Christmas.”

After a long discussion, and members of PMHA reaching out to residents, the answer was clear.

“The residents said they just wanted a normal Christmas,” Davis recalled. “They wanted decorations and something to call their own to celebrate the season with.”

Davis said that the results were uplifting to the PALS volunteers, as well as the residents.

“Everyone was happy. Everyone was excited,” Davis said. “The residents knew we were coming, and they started coming down within minutes of us unloading. They were told they could pick out whatever they wanted and were given the option of a tree with colored or white lights.”

One resident in particular stood out to Davis.

“There was one kid, who was either the first or second to get his tree and decorations. He really didn’t say a lot to anybody. He just kind of looked at us. When he left, he had a big smile on his face,” Davis said. “After we handed off goods, we were given a tour of the facility and he searched us out to thank us. The two ladies giving us the tour looked at us and told us they were shocked because he doesn’t frequently talk to anybody, especially strangers. It was just very humbling and uplifting.”

Davis said the original idea was to start with trees and go from there. Davis, herself, started going around and picking up trees at different stores, but local Big Lots stores ran out of stock, and she had to venture to Chillicothe Big Lots to fill the gap.

“The Chillicothe store had taken every tree of that size and placed them at the cash register in a stack for me to pick up when I could make it,” Davis recalled. “They did not know me, PALS, or what they were for. Well, it turned out that I was in the right place at the right time. In line to pay, a lady behind me asked what I was doing with all the trees, so I told her. There was another gentleman who was listening very intently. When I paid, he came up behind me and said, ’Excuse me, but I heard your story. Tell me more.’ I told him the full story. He asked if it was something I do locally. I told him it was actually for Portsmouth. He told me that he is from Portsmouth, and he works for Big Lots Corporate, and he promised to donate the rest of the supplies.”

Davis said the gentleman’s name was Jared Cyrus and he had the rest of the supplies to her within the week.

“It was fantastic, just wonderful,” Davis said. “He was fantastic. We couldn’t have done quite this much without the help of Mr. Cyrus. It went very well, and we were thrilled to give them the kind of Christmas they wanted.”

Davis said that the resident pool will likely change over time and repeating the project is something the group is considering.

PALS is an extended network of driven local women. Some of them include Tami Davis, Teri Webb, Shawn Jordan, Linda Woods-Jones, Debbie Smith, Patty Tennant, Carol Davis, Therese Egbert, Tess Midkiff, Kay Bouyack, Phyllis Fried, Rhoni Maxwell-Rader, Lynsi Eason, Jill Arnzen, Linda Woods-Jones, Ruth Ann Logan, Betty Kennedy, Julia Wisniewski, Toni Dengel, and more.

“PALS would love to have other ladies join us. All they need to do is go to our website and complete an application,” Davis said.

Reach Joseph Pratt at (740) 353-3101, by email at [email protected], © 2023 Portsmouth Daily Times, all rights reserved.