A record for Teen Christmas

Christmas came 10 days early for D.J. Stubben, the guiding force behind her pet project, Teen Christmas.

For the last three years, funds have been raised for needy teens in the city that would allow them to spend $50 on clothes for Christmas. There has always been much more on the lists than there were available funds.

Teen Christmas has served about an average of 150 teens. Stubben's ultimate goal has been 300 teens, which seemed to be out of reach. In fact, as I chronicled earlier this month, it seemed 200 would be a worthy number for Tuesday's shopping.

But a record number of teens -- 302 to be exact -- were able to buy clothes at the Wal-Mart on Coulter. It was almost double what they had done before. Enough money came forward in less than two weeks for 130 more teens. It's never surprising when this community steps forward, but it's always gratifying.

"Many of the parents were so appreciative of the gifts they said they want to help us next year," said Stubben, co-owner of Welcome Pardner! "The community really came together for this."