St John's Rotary Members (family and helpers) can be incredibly proud of the effort and adaptability demonstrated with the roll out of "Project Elf".This project required dedicated volunteers to set aside hours to supervise and operate up to 4 gift wrapping booths at Sylvia Park Shopping Centre during the silly season - those crucial three weeks of late-night shopping-madness in the build up to Christmas Eve.
As the project got underway, St John's Rotary Elves (and family) collectively demonstrated the ability to roll up their sleeves, Elf-Up and get on with it. Flexibility was the key when we learned we'd be WRAPPING more than supervising! But I think it is fair to report that despite the unexpected intensity of the project, most Rotary Elves involved had a busy (time flew by) and positive experience. There was also the added bonus of meeting and working with Glendowie College Interacters (who were also volunteering their time and talent).
Time and again we saw covert Rotarian gift-wrapping skill emerge at the booths. Rotary Elves who previously wouldn't even wrap their knuckles could be seen tearing, folding and sticky-taping gifts - not only with speed but (eventually) with finesse and precision any surgeon would envy. 
Shifts were often heard to end with boasts of who successfully dealt with the most awkwardly shaped gift; who wrestled with the largest gift; who did the best bow curl and who elicited the largest donation! Click Read More
We learned a lot about human nature and how some people needed to be strongly reminded that the service was provided for a "gold coin donation" (per present not per trolley!) while others were incredibly generous and produced the "paper stuff" as a donation with no prompt at all. We met and wrapped and talked with so many different groups from our community: whole families; mums, dads and kids hiding gifts from each other; work mates chuffed they'd found the perfect "secret Santa"; new immigrants shopping in the mall for the first time; tourists from overseas; Kiwis from "up North" visiting the big-smoke for their Christmas shop; and so many grateful and gleeful menfolk who were insanely happy to discover the gift-wrapping service. The unexpected bonus for this project was the exposure to our community (arguably second-to-none) with very often a 'captive queue' up to the booth. "Chat-as-you-wrap" became second nature and this provided mega opportunities to tell people about Rotary - usually because they asked who we were and what we did.
Ainie emailed Elves to advise that as of 20 December donations amounted to a whopping: $19,898. That left December 21, 22, 23 & 24 still to go and still to count. I'm intrigued and excited to know how much more our "hard-out" gift wrapping brought in over the last four days of the project! To be revealed at the first meeting of 2018.
